J'khand exam row: Thousands of job aspirants march

Published 10 August 2026 · politics

The latest: Police lathicharge protesters as march escalates Live Events ANI (@ANI) Mahto joins Assembly march after 9-day hunger strike; urges protesters to remain peaceful

The latest: Police lathicharge protesters as march escalates Live Events ANI (@ANI) Mahto joins Assembly march after 9-day hunger strike; urges protesters to remain peaceful ANI (@ANI) Why are Jharkhand job aspirants protesting? ANI (@ANI) Government says 98% demands accepted, protesters disagree LoP Babulal Marandi, BJP leaders detained amid exam row protest as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Thousands of job aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand marched towards the state assembly on Monday, as the agitation entered its 17th day amid heightened security and a continuing deadlock between the protesters and the government.The demonstrators gathered outside the old assembly complex in Dhurwa and began marching towards the new Vidhan Sabha building, raising slogans and carrying the tricolour and placards. The march coincides with Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s 51st birthday.The protesters are demanding reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), cancellation of several recruitment examinations and an independent probe into alleged irregularities.The protest escalated on Monday as police resorted to a lathicharge to control the crowd during the ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march by JPSC-JSSC aspirants in Ranchi.Earlier, police had used water cannons to disperse protesters after they broke through three layers of barricading and continued towards the Assembly.

Despite the action, the students pressed ahead with the march, with protesters also seen dancing during the demonstration.The march began from the old Assembly complex in Dhurwa, with protesters moving towards the new Vidhan Sabha building.Authorities had imposed prohibitory orders along the nearly 4-km route and deployed more than 1,500 personnel from the Rapid Action Force, Indian Reserve Battalion, district police and Quick Response Teams, officials said.Most schools in Ranchi were also closed amid the protest and security arrangements.Devendra Nath Mahto joined the protesting JPSC-JSSC aspirants’ ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march in Ranchi on Monday, despite having been on a hunger strike at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, the main protest site, for the past nine days.Mahto, who has been leading the agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, joined the march as thousands of job aspirants headed towards the Jharkhand Assembly.Mahto appealed to students not to do anything that could lead to a mishap or bloodshed during the protest.Mahto said the government should take a decision on the students’ demands, warning that the agitation would continue otherwise. He also questioned why the government was “inviting anarchy” by not accepting the protesters’ demands.He has been on a fast for nine days over the recruitment examination issue and joined Monday’s march despite his deteriorating physical condition.According to the protesters, he has lost 10.5 kg during the hunger strike.The protest has now entered its third week, with demonstrators continuing to press for an independent probe and wider reforms in the state’s recruitment examination system.The agitation is centred on alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and JSSC.The protesters are demanding comprehensive reforms in both recruitment bodies and cancellation of several examinations, including the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination.They are also seeking an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities, either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a panel of retired high court judges from outside Jharkhand.“We will not compromise till our demand for a CBI probe is fulfilled,” JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said.The protest has continued despite several rounds of talks between the state government and the demonstrators.Following the latest round of deliberations, the government said it had accepted 98 per cent of the protesters’ demands.The protesters, however, said the government had agreed to cancel only three of the 13 examinations they want scrapped.The disagreement over the remaining demands has kept the deadlock in place as the agitation entered its 17th day.Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi and several BJP leaders were detained by state police during a protest outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations.Marandi said students were continuing their protest while alleging that the government was trying to divert attention from their demands.