Ranchi: Opposition BJP in Jharkhand urged students protesting alleged examination malpractice not to call off their agitation until an independent investigation is ordered, even as hundreds of candidates selected through the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) recruitment threatened a fresh stir to protect their jobs.Chief minister Hemant Soren Monday cancelled the JSSC CGL 2024 examination and scrapped all exams, results and selections conducted by a private agency. The move came amid mounting protests over alleged irregularities. The 14th JPSC examination was also cancelled on Aug 9 following massive protests.On Tuesday, Devendra Nath Mahto, who led one faction of the protesters, withdrew his hunger strike. However, the JPSC-JSSC Manch refused to call off its agitation, saying its key demand for a CBI probe remained unmet.“A CBI investigation is another key demand of the students. Cancelling the examinations is not the solution,” leader of opposition Babulal Marandi said. “The students should not relent until the govt listens to this demand,” he said.The former BJP chief minister also questioned why no action had been taken against officials linked to the recruitment bodies despite repeated allegations of irregularities.Earlier in the day, Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju, state unit president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh and ministers met Soren to thank him for taking a decision in the interest of students and job aspirants and for restoring public confidence in the state’s recruitment system.But the decision to cancel the 2024 CGL examination has not gone down well with candidates who cleared the test, fought a prolonged legal battle, received appointment letters and reported for duty in Jan.Many of them were left standing outside the gates of the very buildings where they had worked until Monday, barred from entering and uncertain about their future.On Tuesday, several such candidates gathered outside Project Building after allegedly being denied entry to offices where they had been working until a day earlier.Among them was Sandeep, who was posted in the vigilance department at Project Bhawan. “I wasn’t allowed inside. I joined my job after clearing the exam. The govt took a decision under pressure from the crowd,” rued Sandeep, who got married only two months ago. Worried about losing his job, he said he even told his wife she was free to reconsider the relationship if she wanted.For Tanmay Mandal and Sujit Kumar, the setback carries an added sting. Both had resigned from railway jobs to return to Jharkhand after securing appointments through the CGL recruitment.Mandal, a Dhanbad resident, had joined the railways in 2019 after clearing the RRB ALP Technician examination and later became a train manager. He eventually opted for the post of assistant section officer in the Jharkhand State Information Commission to work closer to his family. “I worked hard because I wanted to return to my home state. What was my fault?” Mandal asked.Kumar, who was posted in the Rangiya division of North East Frontier Railways in Assam, continued preparing for the CGL exam alongside his regular duties. He travelled from Assam to Garhwa to appear for the Sept 2024 examination and was subsequently selected. After document verification, he joined service following a Dec 2025 order of the Jharkhand high court that allowed appointments to proceed while investigations into alleged irregularities continued.The affected candidates argue that the mechanism endorsed by the court should have been used to identify and punish those guilty of malpractice instead of cancelling the entire recruitment process.Several candidates have indicated that they are preparing for legal action while also considering fresh street protests.
