Paper Leaks Troubles Opposition Ruled Jharkhand Govt And Face Youth Ire

Well it is not only PM Modi and the BJP who have been troubled by the youth agitations. Even LoP Rahul Gandhi too, following which he reached out to students, on August 6, protesting in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations. He assured them that their concerns would be raised with the JMM-Congress state government and expressed support for their demands. The conversation comes amid the continuing agitation by JPSC-JSSC aspirants in Ranchi demanding the cancellation of the disputed exam, a fair investigation into the irregularities and comprehensive reforms in the recruitment process. Rahul and Opposition leaders did not expect the Ranchi protests to become such a huge embarrassment like the Jantar Mantar protests did to PM Modi. At Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, student leader Devendra Nath Mahto has been on an indefinite hunger strike and has drawn the same attention as activist Sonam Wangchuk’s in Jantar Mantar. On August 5, following a video call with Wangchuk, Mahto agreed to at least take water while continuing his fast. The demands of protesters were to cancel the disputed 14th Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination, order a CBI probe and restore public faith in Jharkhand’s recruitment system. It started on July 2, when the JPSC announced the examination results, naming 2,204 successful candidates for recruitment to 103 civil service posts. More damagingly, the JPSC failed to publish category-wise cut-off marks, a basic requirement of transparency. On July 21, the Jharkhand CID arrested eight persons of TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) which was entrusted with the examination process. Days later, JPSC chairman L Khiangte resigned. Nine competitive examinations, including the Civil Services Mains, have been postponed indefinitely. What began as a protest against one disputed examination has evolved into a movement demanding structural reform of Jharkhand’s recruitment machinery. CJP leaders who kept away from this event are now expected to join the protesters in Ranchi.