Students enter the third-week of protest at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium over alleged JPSC and JSSC exam irregularities, demanding a CBI probe, exam cancellation, and judicial inquiry. CM Hemant Soren has promised action as BJP demands his resignation.
Hundreds of students continued their sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday, as their agitation against alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitment examinations entered its third week. The protest, which began on July 25, has grown steadily even as the state government has so far avoided the kind of confrontation that marked the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led agitation in the national capital.
The demonstration stems from allegations of paper leaks and manipulation in the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination and the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam, also known as the Jharkhand General Graduate-level Combined Competitive Examination (JGGLCCE). Protesters allege that TSR Data Processing Private Ltd, the agency that conducted several of these examinations, was complicit in the irregularities. Demonstrators say repeated controversies around recruitment exams have eroded public confidence and point to the need for structural reform in both commissions.
Their demands include a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, cancellation of the 14th JPSC Preliminary exam, a review of examinations conducted by the implicated agency, the introduction of a “not attempted” option as a fifth choice on OMR answer sheets, and strict action against those found responsible. According to Akashvani News, protesters have clarified that their demand is not the resignation of any individual leader but the cancellation of the tainted exams and an independent judicial inquiry conducted by retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand.
The stir intensified through the first week of August. JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto launched an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with the aspirants, a move that, according to the Organiser, marked a new phase in the agitation even as the CID inquiry remained underway. Protesters have said the movement is being run without political funding, with food and refreshments arriving voluntarily from local temples and community organisations.
With the Assembly’s Monsoon Session beginning Thursday, agitating students have announced plans to lay siege to the Assembly to press their demands. The All India Students’ Association (AISA) has announced its own march to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly for Friday, August 7.
The Jharkhand Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has questioned former JPSC chairman L. Khiangte and arrested 19 people in connection with the case. Protesters have publicly termed the CID probe “inadequate,” pressing instead for a CBI investigation.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has assured students that “all measures” will be taken and that their concerns are being treated seriously. He has said paper leaks are not a problem unique to Jharkhand but a national concern. A four-member government team has been constituted for talks, and students have agreed in principle to engage. A government representative has also asked students to send a delegation to the Chief Minister’s residence.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has extended solidarity to the Ranchi protesters, with CJP leaders reportedly speaking to the aspirants by phone. Educationist Sonam Wangchuk also backed the students and spoke with Mahto, who ended his four-day fast following the call. Jharkhand Congress, the ruling JMM’s alliance partner, has extended moral support, while NSUI president Vinod Jakhar visited the site to assure students their demands would be raised forcefully. Congress leader Bandhu Tirkey has sent refreshments, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged the state government to act.
The BJP has said it will raise the issue during the Monsoon Session. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has met the students and called their demands “genuine,” while the party has separately demanded a CBI inquiry monitored by the High Court. The BJP has alleged the scandal points to deliberate “paper fixing” and job-selling rather than a mere leak, claiming lower-scoring candidates cleared the exam while toppers failed, and has accused the examining agency of orchestrating the scam with the state government’s backing. It has also called on the Congress to withdraw support from the Soren government and has sought Soren’s resignation on moral grounds.
The Ranchi agitation stands in contrast to the CJP-led “Chalo Sansad” protests that shook Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area through late July. That movement brought together students and job aspirants from across the country over the same underlying grievance of paper leaks and recruitment fraud. On July 20, protesters attempting to march towards Parliament were met with police baton charges and tear gas, in scenes that some international media outlets described as among the largest anti-government demonstrations India has seen in years. Reports put combined police and protester injuries in the hundreds, with the protest site’s tents and stage torn down and later rebuilt by demonstrators. Clashes recurred through the week even after CJP representatives held talks with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, and tensions eased only after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation on July 25—the same day the Ranchi sit-in began.
Meanwhile, no coercive police action has been reported against the Ranchi protesters. The state government and police have allowed the sit-in to continue unimpeded, and evening candlelight and Tiranga marches have drawn local residents and job aspirants in solidarity. This marks a departure from Jharkhand’s own recent record with such protests, including a December 2024 agitation in which police baton-charged JSSC candidates and detained student leader Devendra Nath Mahto..
The two movements also differ in political framing. While the CJP’s Delhi campaign centred on demands for a Union minister’s resignation and the release of a hunger-striking activist, the Ranchi protesters have steered clear of demanding any individual’s resignation, keeping their demands focused on exam cancellation, a CBI probe and institutional reform. Opposition parties in Jharkhand, however, have separately called for the Chief Minister’s resignation.
Image Source: The Hindu
Read Also: V-Dem Report Flags Century-Low Academic Freedom
Sheetal Mishra
