From exam row to street protests: Jharkhand on edge as student agitation escalates

The standoff over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations intensified on Aug 11 as a BJP-backed statewide bandh disrupted normal life, while political parties traded accusations over the police action against protesting job aspirants.

The bandh was called a day after thousands of students marching toward the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi breached several barricades, prompting police to use water cannons, tear gas and lathicharge. Protesters have alleged excessive force and injuries, while police said 14 personnel were injured during clashes.

Most schools and businesses remained closed in several parts of the state, while vehicular movement was affected in Ranchi and other areas. BJP workers reportedly blocked roads in parts of Ranchi and burned tires at several locations, including Harmu Chowk, Kishorganj Chowk and near Nucleus Mall.

The BJP has described Aug 10’s police action as “atrocities” against students and demanded an independent investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

The student movement, which began on July 25, is primarily centered on the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination. Aspirants are demanding cancellation of the examination, wider reforms in the functioning of JPSC and JSSC, and an independent probe by the CBI or a panel of retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand.

The dispute has also triggered action against senior officials. The Jharkhand CID arrested former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. His arrest took the number of people apprehended in the case to 20.

Khiangte, a former Jharkhand chief secretary, had been appointed JPSC chairperson in February 2025 and resigned on July 22. He had been questioned by the CID several times before his arrest. The former chairperson had said he "voluntarily chose to resign" to facilitate an impartial investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate has separately launched a money laundering investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to multiple recruitment examinations, including the JSSC-CGL examination.

The state government has agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and backlog examinations conducted in 2023 and 2025. It has also proposed reforms to the standard operating procedures of JPSC and JSSC, with inputs from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM-Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur.

However, cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination remains the main point of disagreement. Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government could not order its cancellation because the examination was conducted under court monitoring.

The government has proposed a committee headed by a retired High Court judge to oversee the CID investigation, but protesting students have rejected the proposal and continued to demand an independent probe.

The protests have also drawn sharp political reactions. Chief Minister Hemant Soren appealed to students to address their concerns through "dialogue and trust" and said the government would examine their demands with "utmost seriousness and sensitivity."

Soren also accused opposition parties of attempting to use the agitation for political gains and said his government was committed to making the examination system more transparent, technology-enabled, secure and accountable.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned the police action against the protesters.

"Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions. The Jharkhand government must continue to hear these students out and resolve their issues immediately," Gandhi said.

He later reiterated his opposition to the use of force against peaceful protesters. "My message to protesting students in Jharkhand is clear. We condemn any violence against peacefully protesting students," he said.

"It does not matter where it is happening. We condemn it, we are against it, we do not recommend it, and we do not support it. We are very clear," Gandhi said. "As long as protests are peaceful, we are against any attack on it with violence."

The BJP has accused Gandhi and the Congress of double standards, pointing out that the party is part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand. BJP leaders have also accused the state administration of excessive force against students.

Union Minister Sanjay Seth alleged that women protesters were subjected to police action and criticized the chief minister over his response to the confrontation. BJP MP Anurag Thakur also accused the state government of using lathicharge and barricades against protesting youth.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal accused the BJP of attempting to alter the character of the student movement. He alleged that BJP Yuva Morcha workers were being brought from West Bengal to Jharkhand and claimed an effort was underway to create a “fake crowd” around the protests.

Venugopal shared a video on X that he said showed youths being transported to Jharkhand.

"Behold another example of the petty politics of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Some boys from the BJP Yuva Morcha are being transported from West Bengal in trucks to Jharkhand, and an attempt is being made there to give a different color to the ongoing non-violent student movement."

"They think that if a fake crowd is sent to the Jharkhand movement to make it look bigger, then the public outrage that has arisen against them will die down. Modi ji, stop thinking of and treating the people of India as fools," he said.

The Congress leader added, "What happened last month was just the trailer - youth and students know full well that it is Modi and the failed policies of his government that have destroyed their future."

"Therefore, stop trying to serve your own ends under the guise of Jharkhand's youth. There is no place left in this country for your such conspiracies," he said.

The political confrontation also spilled into Parliament, where NDA MPs staged a protest against the alleged police crackdown on Jharkhand job aspirants. The MPs marched from the Parliament Library to Makar Dwar and raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi.

Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, held a counter-protest in the Parliament complex over alleged police excesses against the students and other issues.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also extended support to the protesters. "I support the demands of the protesting students in Jharkhand and appeal to the government to resolve their issues immediately. Violence against students is simply unacceptable," Kejriwal said in a post on X.

The health of student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who had been on a nine-day hunger strike, also deteriorated during Monday's march. He was taken to Ranchi Sadar Hospital after his blood sugar level dropped drastically, with doctors describing his condition as critical.

Despite his condition, Mahto joined the Assembly march in an ambulance and later addressed protesters while lying on a stretcher. His aide alleged that he was injured during the police action.

The protesters' demands extend beyond the JSSC-CGL examination. They have accused authorities of irregularities, including alleged question paper leaks, leaked OMR sheets, manipulation of evaluation and lack of transparency in recruitment procedures.

The JSSC-CGL is a major graduate-level recruitment examination for government positions across Jharkhand. Posts associated with the recruitment process include Assistant Branch Officer, Block Supply Officer, Block Welfare Officer, Block Panchayat Raj Officer, Planning Assistant and Cooperative Extension Officer.

The examination is intended to recruit personnel for administrative and field-level roles across multiple state departments, making the credibility of its selection process a central concern for the protesting aspirants.

The agitation has spread across Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Bokaro and other districts, with students organizing marches, sit-ins and demonstrations.

The crisis has also affected the JPSC itself. Three serving JPSC members, Ajita Bhattacharya, Jameel Ahmed and Anima Hansda, resigned from their posts, with their resignations accepted by Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar following a recommendation from the state government.

With the protests continuing and the JSSC-CGL cancellation remaining unresolved, the recruitment controversy has emerged as a major political and administrative challenge for the Jharkhand government.