Three JPSC members resign as talks with protesting aspirants fail to end standoff

Ranchi: Three serving members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) resigned on Sunday amid student protests over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

JPSC members Ajita Bhattacharya, Jameel Ahmed and Anima Hansda submitted their resignations to Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar. The governor accepted the resignations after receiving a recommendation from the state government, the Jharkhand Lok Bhavan said.

Governor accepts resignations

“Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar has accepted the resignations submitted by Ajita Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda, and Jamal Ahmed from their posts as members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, in light of the recommendation made by the State Government,” Lok Bhavan, Jharkhand, said.

The official statement did not provide further details about the reasons cited by the three members while submitting their resignations. The development came as the dispute over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) continued to intensify.

Talks fail to resolve dispute

Several JPSC-JSSC aspirants have protested against alleged wrongdoing in recruitment examinations. They have demanded the cancellation of the JPSC preliminary examination held on April 19, a CBI investigation and reforms in the examination system. Two rounds of talks between the state government and student organisations failed to produce an agreement on Sunday.

Sources had earlier said that the government was prepared to cancel the JPSC preliminary examination and order CID and ED investigations into backlog papers linked to alleged irregularities. However, the demand for a CBI investigation remained a major point of disagreement between the government and protesters.

Government offers assurances

The government reportedly accepted several demands raised by students and assured them that investigators would file a chargesheet within 90 days. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had also promised justice to protesting aspirants and strict punishment for those responsible for any wrongdoing. Soren asked students not to view the dispute through a political lens. He also accused opposition parties of attempting to mislead young people by mixing facts with false claims.

Protests continue in state

The resignations mark a major development in the controversy, but the failure of Sunday’s talks means the standoff remains unresolved. The students have continued to press for an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities and action against all those responsible. The government has yet to agree to their demand for a CBI probe.