Jharkhand students to march to Assembly today after talks with government fail

Published 10 August 2026 · politics

Students protesting alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations in Jharkhand are set to march to the state Assembly on Monday after talks with the Hemant

Students protesting alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations in Jharkhand are set to march to the state Assembly on Monday after talks with the Hemant Soren government ended without a breakthrough on Sunday. Both sides accused each other of not being serious about resolving the issue, with the deadlock centred on the students’ demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and cancellation of a Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examination. The government has rejected these demands. Read Full Story The protesters said the Assembly march would go ahead despite appeals from Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar to return to the negotiating table. Security arrangements have been tightened across Ranchi ahead of the protest. “Even after three rounds of talks, the government has not conceded to 100 per cent of our demands. Regarding the march to the Legislative Assembly scheduled for Monday, aspirants and our fellow supporters from all districts of Jharkhand are extending our moral support. We will march in large numbers from the old Assembly building to the new one, conducting this as a completely peaceful march,” student leader Sanjay Mehta said. According to Mehta, the protesters’ key demands include cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities, acceptance of the examination reform model proposed by the students and adherence to their suggested recruitment calendar. “If the government fails to meet even a single one of these demands, the movement will continue until they are fulfilled,” he said. The protest leaders have urged the agitators to remain united and peaceful, march together to the Assembly without disrupting traffic or inconveniencing the public, avoid confrontation with police, report any signs of disorder and continue pressing their demands peacefully while verifying information and avoiding rumours. VERY IMPORTANT DAY FOR JHARKHAND: MAHTO Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for eight days, urged students and parents across Jharkhand to join the planned Assembly march on Monday, calling August 10 “a very important day for Jharkhand”. “Students have been troubled by paper leaks in every examination, and we are fighting against this,” Mahto said, adding that he had lost 10 kg, suffered a drop in blood sugar and was in severe pain.

“But the pain of seeing question papers being leaked and students being denied jobs is greater than this physical pain.” Calling Monday a “decisive day” for the movement, Mahto appealed to protesters to gather at the Old Assembly Ground at 10.30 am and march towards the Assembly. He urged them to remain peaceful and follow the law despite administrative restrictions. “Our student delegation has held two rounds of talks with the government. To a large extent, our movement has received a positive response, but it is not sufficient. Complete reforms are necessary,” he said. “Tomorrow (Monday) is a very important day for Jharkhand. It is our decisive battle so that children from poor families, farmers’ families, working-class families and rural areas can get jobs. There should be no manipulation, no setting and no paper leaks in any examination,” Mahto said. The protest in Ranchi entered its 17th day on Monday, with six students on indefinite hunger strike. Students have rejected the government’s claim that it has accepted 98 per cent of their demands, saying the assertion does not reflect the outcome of the negotiations. They alleged that the government had agreed to cancel only three of the 13 examinations whose cancellation they had sought. “The Jharkhand government is spreading lies that it fulfilled 98 per cent of our demands. It cancelled only three of the 13 exams sought by us,” a student leader said. GOVERNMENT SAYS 98% DEMANDS ACCEPTED The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government, however, maintained that it had agreed to most of the students’ demands and urged them to withdraw the agitation and continue negotiations. “It is unfortunate that students are not ready to withdraw the agitation, though we agreed to most of their demands. There is no intention to save any culprit involved in exam irregularities,” Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar, a member of the government panel, said. The government said it had agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC examination and proposed an Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged financial irregularities in the JPSC examination. It has also announced a fast-track court mechanism under which charge sheets in cases related to examination irregularities would be filed within 90 days.