J’khand LoP Marandi writes to CM Soren seeking removal of JSSC chief from exam reform committee

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Ranchi, Aug 26 (IANS) Jharkhand Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babulal Marandi has written a letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, seeking the “immediate removal” of Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Acting Chairman Prashant Kumar from the examination reform committee and an independent inquiry into his role in the examination process.

While acknowledging that the state government has constituted an examination reform committee following alleged irregularities that surfaced in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations, Marandi called the inclusion of Finance Secretary Prashant Kumar into the committee as “extremely unfortunate and objectionable”.

Prashant Kumar has held the post of JSSC Chairman since February 2024.

“The controversial JSSC-CGL examination of September 2024 was conducted during his tenure. The examination had to be cancelled, the JSSC office was raided, the Commission’s Secretary was interrogated, and the credibility of the entire system was called into question,” LoP Marandi wrote in his letter.

He said that under such circumstances, “entrusting the responsibility of system reform to the very officer whose tenure and administrative role ought to be subject to an independent and impartial inquiry clearly constitutes a conflict of interest.”

The LoP claimed that serious questions have previously been raised regarding Prashant Kumar’s administrative conduct and style of functioning.

“While he (Prashant Kumar) served as Finance Secretary, the department failed to provide a clear explanation regarding a discrepancy of thousands of crores of rupees in the state accounts,” Marandi said while recalling that in a matter concerning the Water Resources Department, the Jharkhand High Court “even imposed a fine on him for misleading the court and failing to comply with its orders”.

“Despite this, his (Prasant Kumar’s) inclusion in the Examination Reform Committee casts doubt on the Jharkhand government’s intentions. This decision is so blatantly inappropriate that one hardly needs eyes to see it; making the very officer whose accountability should be fixed into a reformer is akin to entrusting the guardianship of milk to a cat,” the LoP remarked.

Accordingly, the BJP leader demanded that the Acting Chairman Prashant Kumar and JSSC Secretary Sudhir Gupta be immediately removed and arrested on charges of irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination, and an independent agency be tasked with investigating their tenure.

Seeking Prashant Kumar’s “immediate removal” from the examination reform committee, Marandi also sought an inquiry into his role regarding agency selection, question paper security, examination conduct, the results process, and all administrative approvals related to the JSSC-CGL.

The LoP also said: “The committee should include student representatives alongside impartial judicial, technical, and academic experts.”

Demanding that student confidence should be restored by handing over the investigation into JPSC-JSSC recruitment irregularities to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Jharkhand LoP added: “The reform committee has been constituted to cleanse the system, not to shield officials whose conduct is under a cloud of suspicion. If the Jharkhand government genuinely desires transparency, it must first withdraw this highly contradictory decision and induct members of clean, transparent, and honest repute.”

–IANS

cg/khz

Related Posts

ISI’s low-intensity tactics in Punjab: Shifts focus to arms, targeted killings and drugs

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has sharpened its focus on Punjab with a calibrated three-pronged strategy built around targeted killings, drug trafficking, and the supply of arms and ammunition, according to intelligence inputs.

Punjab has seen a series of low-intensity blasts in recent months, involving crude bombs and grenades. An Intelligence Bureau official has said that these incidents are designed less for damage and more as a diversion. The intent, they say, is to draw security attention while operatives quietly push in weapons, expand narcotics networks, and execute selective killings.

“ISI-backed operatives are expected to continue pushing in arms, expanding drug networks and carrying out targeted killings,” officials said.

At the same time, the Punjab Police will need to keep close watch on attempts to trigger low-intensity blasts. These incidents are not intended to cause large-scale damage. Their purpose is to create fear and draw security attention away from other activities.

Investigations show that local recruits, mostly young men, are being paid substantial sums to execute such attacks. Officials say the payment can go up to Rs 4 lakh per operation, a level of funding that has raised concern within the security establishment.

An intelligence assessment prepared a few months ago had already indicated a surge in financial inflows. This shift is linked to the limited appeal of Khalistan-related messaging among the youth. Efforts to mobilise support on ideological grounds have not found much response.

Instead, handlers appear to be relying on monetary incentives. Officials note that aspirations for a more affluent lifestyle, along with the existing drug problem in parts of the state, have made some sections of youth more vulnerable to recruitment. The scale of funding reflects this change in approach.

Officials studying recent trends in Punjab say that the ISI is avoiding large and high-impact attacks. The pattern does not point to fidayeen strikes or coordinated serial blasts. Instead, the focus is on softer targets with limited strategic value. This, they believe, reflects a measured approach aimed at letting the situation develop gradually without drawing an overwhelming response.

Targeted killings appear to be preferred over mass-casualty attacks. Such operations are precise and intended to send a strong message, serving as a tool of intimidation. At the same time, arms and drug smuggling remain central to the network’s functioning. These activities not only generate funds but also help channel weapons towards Jammu and Kashmir.

Police officials say that while there is no shortage of operatives in Kashmir willing to carry out attacks, they face constraints in terms of infrastructure. Large quantities of arms and ammunition built up earlier have been seized by Indian security forces. In the present conditions, officials note, drones have made it easier to move weapons and narcotics across the Punjab border.

Smuggling along the Jammu and Kashmir border has become extremely difficult at present. Much like infiltration attempts, movement of contraband across the Line of Control has seen a sharp decline. After the Pahalgam attack, Indian armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In the aftermath, border security has been tightened to an unprecedented level, resulting in a series of failed attempts by ISI-backed operatives.

–IANS

vn/snj/skp

ABVP creates history by winning Panjab University polls

Chandigarh, Sep 3 (IANS) In a first in the university’s history, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, on Wednesday scripted history by winning the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) election.

Gaurav Veer Sohal, a research scholar from the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), won the post of the President by securing 3,148 votes and defeating his closest competitor, Sumit Sharma, by a margin of 488 votes.

After winning the elections, Sohal told the media, “My heart goes out to the people who are suffering due to the flood in Punjab.”

There were eight candidates in the fray for the post. This is the first time that the ABVP won the President’s seat since the Panjab University here started holding direct elections for the student office-bearers in 1977.

For a long time, student wings of national-level organisations were not active on the campus or played a minor role, as home-grown outfits dominated. That has changed over the past decade or so.

Responding to the party’s win, Punjab state unit chief Sunil Jakhar wrote on X, “ABVP has scripted history by winning the election for the presidentship of Panjab University Students’ Council for the first time in 48 years. Heartiest congratulations to Gaurav Veer Sohal on becoming the President of PUSC, and kudos to the entire ABVP team for this great victory.”

Other student wings — the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) of the Congress; the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) of Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP); and the Students Organisation of India (SOI) of the Shiromani Akali Dal — performed poorly this time.

Last year, the election was won by a rebel from the NSUI. AAP’s student wing had won in 2022.

Panjab University, known for its alumni like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Nobel Laureate Hargobind Khorana, contributed to science in India and internationally — a facet that is not well known.

Originally called the University of Punjab, the institution was established at Lahore on October 14, 1882, and it was reestablished in independent India on October 1, 1947.

The university shifted to its present campus, spread in a beautiful and sprawling 550 acres, in Chandigarh in 1956.

The university has around 60 teaching and research departments, and over 170 colleges are affiliated with it.

–IANS

vg/dan

FTA with India means more jobs, exports, higher incomes: New Zealand PM

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India will add more employment, exports, and raise incomes, said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday.

He said this as India and New Zealand concluded a comprehensive and long-awaited FTA, marking a major economic and strategic milestone.

“We said we’d secure a Free Trade Agreement with India in our first term, and we’ve delivered,” Luxon said in a post on social media platform X.

“This landmark deal means more jobs, higher incomes, and more exports by opening the door to 1.4 billion Indian consumers,” he added.

The negotiations were formally launched on March 16.

“Fixing the Basics. Building the Future,” Luxon said, while welcoming the deal that was concluded in nine months.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed the India-New Zealand FTA as a historic milestone.

“An important moment for India-New Zealand relations, with a strong push to bilateral trade and investment! My friend PM Christopher Luxon and I had a very good conversation a short while ago following the conclusion of the landmark India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement,” he wrote on X.

The FTA eliminates duty on 100 per cent of Indian exports, along with a $20 billion investment commitment over 15 years to strengthen long-term economic and strategic cooperation.

It enhances market access to India’s labour-intensive sectors, including textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, marine products, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, engineering goods, and automobiles, directly supporting Indian workers, artisans, women, youth, and MSMEs and integrating them deeper into global value chains, according to the commerce ministry.

Meanwhile, India has secured commitments across a wide range of high-value sectors, including IT and IT-enabled services, professional services, education, financial services, tourism, construction, and other business services, opening up substantial new opportunities for Indian service suppliers and high-skill employment, according to the Commerce Ministry.

–IANS

rvt/