RANCHI, Aug. 18 -- Agreeing to one of the major demands of the students protesting against the alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations, the Jharkhand government on Monday decided to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination besides all other recruitment examinations conducted by private firm TDPL, which is under the scanner of the crime investigation department (CID) of the Jharkhand police. The decision comes on the 24th day of the ongoing protest of students, including hunger strike by few for past 14 days, after a marathon meeting of the Jharkhand cabinet chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday. Making the announcement after the meeting at the state secretariat, chief minister Hemant Soren said, "There have been some starting revelations in the ongoing CID and SIT probes. After much of deliberations in the cabinet, it has been decided to cancel the JSSC CGL recruitment examination. We have also decided to cancel all tests conducted by outsourced agency TDPL (TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd) and the results published by it." He also announced the formation of an examination reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal. The chief minister also said that he has directed the CID to look into irregularities in all recruitment examinations conducted in the state since 2014. TDPL is the private agency that has conducted exams including 14th JPSC civil services prelims examination, besides two civil services backlog examsinations. The combined graduate level (CGL) examination was conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) in 2024 and around 1,800 successful candidates have already been appointed in various departments of the state government. The fresh controversy regarding recruitments exams started with CID having registered a case on July 22 probing alleged irregularities in the 14th civil services prelims exam conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Examination (JPSC) this year. The agency till now has arrested 21 individuals including former JPSC chairman L Khiangte, besides directors and executives of TDPL and other middlemen for irregularities in connection with the JPSC exams. The probe has led to involvement of TDPL syndicate in the JSSC CGL exam as well. The job aspirants started their protest soon after and have been holding a sit-in protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, with few among them being on hunger strike. The students had marched to Vidhan Sabha on August 10 and had threatened to gherao chief minister residence on August 20 if their demands were not met. While two of their major demands--- cancelling all exams conducted by TDPL and JSSC CGL--- has been met, their was not clarity on whether they would continue to press for their demand to recommend CBI inquiry. On probing the irregularities, the chief minister said, "Since operation is being done, it's better to get it done in totality. So I have directed the CID to probe all exams held since 2014," he said. One structural reforms in the recruitment exams, the chief minister said a committee under senior IAS Amitabh Kaushal would be instituted to look into the exam process and suggest corrective measures to make it foolproof. Meanwhile, celebrations broke out at Jaipal Singh Munda stadium among the protesting students after the announcement. A delegation member Rajesh Prasad welcomed the decision, terming it a victory of students. "It is a victory for the students struggling to get justice," he said. Asked about further plan, he said: "A decision regarding this will be taken in a meeting late night," he said....