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"Tell us our crime. Don't throw us out." The plea of successful candidates outside the Jharkhand Secretariat on Tuesday captured the anguish of around 2,000 people who fear the state government's decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL exam would cost them their jobs.
In the face of sustained protests by job aspirants over alleged irregularities in exams, the Jharkhand government on Monday night announced cancelling the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam and all recruitment tests conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) since 2014.
While the decision, which was among the major demands of the exam protesters, was likely to quell the agitation, the government was now faced with a fresh concern as around 2,000 candidates who cleared the JSSC-CGL exam fear losing their jobs.
These candidates, who are now government employees, say they are not opposed to an investigation into the alleged irregularities but demand a fair opportunity to defend themselves. Both the protesting aspirants and successful candidates of JSSC-CGL exam now demand a CBI probe.
Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the successful candidates could seek legal recourse, and JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey acknowledged their anguish, saying the party was sympathetic to them.
However, the assurance that fresh vacancies would provide opportunities to deserving candidates did little to ease their uncertainty, many of whom have crossed the age limit.
Some threatened a hunger strike and further legal action.
Kaushal Kumar, an assistant section officer in the Jharkhand government, said, "Tell us our crime. Don't throw us out. We were appointed after a court order."
In a desperate appeal outside the Jharkhand Secretariat, he said, "We have come with all documents. Don't cancel it (exams). Probe it. Do a CBI probe or whatever investigation you deem fit, but please don't do injustice to us."
