Ranchi, 18 August (H.S.):

Protests by employees appointed through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) CGL and TDPL examinations intensified after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that the various competitive examinations would be cancelled and a CID probe ordered into them. The appointed employees staged a sit-in protest at the Project Building premises until late Monday night. A large number of employees also gathered at the Project Building on Tuesday morning and staged a protest for several hours, demanding that the government protect their jobs.

The protesting employees said they had no objection to action being taken against any candidate if irregularities in their appointment were established or if any wrongdoing on their part was found. However, they argued that it was unjustified to cast doubt on the jobs of around 2,000 CGL-appointed employees when no individual wrongdoing had been established against them.

The employees said the government should clarify what offence had been committed by the nearly 2,000 CGL employees currently in service. They maintained that if there were irregularities in the recruitment process, action should be taken against those responsible, but employees who had secured their positions after completing the selection process could not be held responsible for alleged discrepancies in the recruitment exercise.

According to the protesters, a CID investigation conducted earlier at the government's direction had not found evidence of a question-paper leak. Therefore, they said that even if large-scale irregularities or the involvement of specific individuals emerged in a fresh investigation, it would not be appropriate to hold the appointed employees responsible.

The appointed employees demanded that if the government considers their appointments erroneous or illegal, it should file an affidavit before the court clearly stating what offence the appointed employees had committed and on what grounds their appointments were being considered invalid. They said an employee's job could not be terminated merely on the basis of a verbal order or pressure arising from protests. They insisted that the prescribed legal procedure must be followed before any such action was taken.

The employees said they would respect court orders and due legal process. They would abide by whatever decision the judiciary takes regarding their appointments, but would not be willing to give up their jobs solely on the basis of a verbal directive from the government.

After concluding the sit-in, the appointed employees returned to their respective duties at the Project Building and other locations. However, they made it clear that their protest over job security and dialogue with the government would continue.

It may be recalled that on the 24th day of protests led by various student organisations, including the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum and the Devendra Nath Mahato faction, Chief Minister Hemant Soren had announced action on the students' demands while speaking to the media. He said the examinations conducted through JPSC-JSSC CGL and TDPL would be cancelled and that a CID investigation would be ordered into the matter.

Following the Chief Minister's announcement, nearly 2,000 young people appointed through these examinations have been left confused and angry. The appointed employees maintain that they are serving after securing their positions through a completed and lawful selection process. They argue that they should not have to bear the consequences of alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

The appointed employees have urged the government to examine the role of each appointee and candidate before taking any action and to protect the jobs of those against whom no irregularity is established.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar