09:49
Student leader Piyush Kumar says he will wait to see if JSSC notification has actually been withdrawn
Students protesting against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations may take a call on withdrawing the demonstration on Tuesday after the state government cancelled all recruitment tests, including the JSSC-CGL exam, conducted by an outsourced agency since 2014.
The announcement came after Chief Minister Hemant Soren chaired a marathon cabinet meeting at the state secretariat here on Monday.
He also said an exam reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal would recommend measures to strengthen the process of recruitment tests.
"The government has decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam, which was one of the major demands of the protesting students. We have also decided to cancel all tests conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) and the results published by it," Soren told reporters after the meeting.
The decision came as six protesters continued their hunger strike and a government panel was preparing for another round of talks with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been spearheading the agitation since July 25.
"Today, our protest enters its 25th day. We may decide whether we continue or call the agitation off after the government's announcement," a protesting student said.
Student leader Devendra Mahto, who had been on hunger strike for 16 days over the alleged exam irregularities, broke the fast around Monday midnight, while five others were continuing it, he said.
Students were seen celebrating and waving the Tricolour after the announcement.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk congratulated Mahto over a video call, describing the government's decision as a "victory for everyone".
"It seems that this victory is one in which no one loses. You have won, and the government has won too, because they also intend to do good. So, this is a victory where the other side does not have to face defeat. It is a victory for everyone -- a victory for India, for the people, and for Jharkhand," he said.
However student leader Piyush Kumar says, "We first want to see whether the JSSC notification has actually been withdrawn. TDPL had prepared the final merit list. We also want to understand the government's stance regarding the CDPO and FSO exams; that remains unclear. Thirdly, regarding the age cut-off--we had demanded the 2018 cut-off, but the government's position on this is not clear. What is the government's stance on a CBI inquiry? We have some doubts regarding the government's position on that. So, the agitation will continue until a consensus is reached on all these matters. We stated from day one that we would not budge until the very last demand was met. Absolutely, our protest will continue. Last night, Deepika Ma'am and Dr Irfan Ansari came to ask us to break the hunger strike, but our protesters refused to do so..." -- PTI/ANI
