A group of youngsters, including job aspirants and students, has been staging an indefinite protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since July 25 over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment examinations. Among the protesters, six have been on a hunger strike since August 2.
Although the Hemant Soren-led government initiated steps to resolve the crisis, including cancelling some examinations and announcing recruitment reforms, the protesters say their core demands remain unfulfilled. What began as a protest over examination irregularities has evolved into a broader movement seeking accountability, transparency and reforms in the state's recruitment system.
What led to the protest?
Though the protesters are alleging multiple irregulatities in various recrutiment exams, the reason which triggered the mass movement is the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Service Examination. After the preliminary exams held on April 19, 2026, a total of 2,204 candidates were shortlisted for the mains. A row erupted after the candidates questioned the anomalies in the procedures, including the absence of category wise cut-off marks and flaws in the merit list. Amid the confusion, the OMR answer sheet of a candidate who was shortlisted for the mains circulated on social media. Upholding this as evidence, the protesters alleged that the candidate only attempted 48 questions and argued that the person failed to score the reported qualifying marks of 144. Though the JPSC is yet to verify the authenticity of the OMR sheet, the job aspirants launched a protest.
CID probe and JPSC chairman's exit
On July 22, JPSC Chairman L Khiangte resigned from the post minutes after the Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID) registered a case into the alleged irregularities in a bid to pacify the job aspirants. On July 22, CID conducted multiple raids as part of the probe and arrested the former JPSC chairman. The probe team nabbed Khiangte after a media report accused him of accepting ₹2 crore bribe and 20 per cent of the overall billing amount from TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), a Lucknow based private firm which had won a contract for conducting the exams. Though the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission had blacklisted the firm on May 20, 2025, JPSC continued to award tenders to it.
Till July 25, the CID arrested eight people, including JPSC deputy examination controller Shweta Gupta, TDPL director Ramveer Singh and three staff of TDPL.
Indefinite protest since July 25
On July 25, job aspirants and students led by JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch launched an indefinite protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, Ranchi, expressing dissatisfaction over the CID probe. Six people, including Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Nath Mahuto, are observing a hunger strike since August 2. After the meeting with the protesters on August 9, the government cancelled the 14th JPSC examinations and backlog examinations held in 2023 and 2025. But the agitation was not called off as the protesters declared that the key demands were not met.
The key demands of the protesters are as follows:
- CBI probe into the irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinaitons
- Cancellation of JSSC CGL examination
- Cancellation of all exams conducted by TDPL and other private agencies
- Action against officials involved
- Greater transparency in recruitment examinations
- JPSC and SSC reforms
- Withdrawal of cases and other action against whistleblower Santosh Kumar Mastana
- Time-bound recruitment under JPSC and JSSC
- Measures to prevent future paper leaks and examination irregularities.
Assembly march on August 10
Thousands of youngsters, including students and job aspirants, participated in the protest march to the Jharkhand state assembly on August 10. Tension erupted after the protesters clashed with the police. Hundreds of protesters, including women, were injured when police resorted to a lathi-charge to block them from barging into the Vidhan Sabha complex. Amid the ruckus, Devendra Nath Mahto who was on hunger strike, was hospitalised. According to doctors, he is in critical condition due to electrolyte imbalance.
A political row erupted after BJP extended support to the protest while condemning the Congress backed Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha government under Hemant Soren. On March 11, ABVP activists marched to the state assembly to protest over the police brutality against the job aspirants and students.
August 18 ultimatum to Govt
The protesters have threatened the state government that they would go beyond the Gandhian way, if their demands are not met by August 18. They announced a gherao of the CM's residence on August 20 and appealed to the students to join the protest.
The protesters also launched an attack on Congress for supporting the Hemant Soren government. On August 16, they burned the effigies of Soren, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav after taking a torchlight procession from the protest site to Albert Ekka Chowk.
Now, all eyes are on the government’s steps to address the issue as this is the second major protest in India after the agitation led by Cockroach Janata Party over the alleged NEET paper leak.
