Students protesting irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations have said they will continue their agitation despite the JMM-Congress alliance government led by CM Hemant Soren announcing the cancellation of several exams and recruitment-related processes on 17th August. The protesters said their main demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe has not been accepted and that they will not withdraw the agitation until it is addressed.
Student leader Ravindra Paswan said the government’s announcement was an important step, but not enough to end the protest. “The demand for a CBI investigation has not yet been accepted, and until the demand for a CBI probe is met, we will continue our movement,” he said.
Paswan added, “We have won a major battle, but there’s still more to this… We want to thank the Chief Minister for finally hearing our demand after 24 days, but the question remains that until there is a CBI investigation, we will continue our hunger strike.”
#WATCH रांची। झारखंड में जारी प्रदर्शन के बीच सरकार की तरफ से प्रदर्शनकारी छात्रों की परीक्षा रद्द करने की मांग मानने के बाद छात्र नेता रवींद्र पासवान ने कहा, "अभी CBI जांच की मांग नहीं मानी गई है और जब तक CBI जांच की मांग नहीं मानते हैं, हम लोग आंदोलन करते रहेंगे। हम लोग एक बड़ी… pic.twitter.com/21R8DKvVz9
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) August 17, 2026
The protest has been going on for 24 days, with students demanding changes in the recruitment examination system and action over irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Soren government cancels exams, orders probe
On Monday, 17th August, the Hemant Soren government announced the cancellation of exams and recruitment processes linked to the controversy. Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the action would cover the JPSC and JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examinations and that the investigation into irregularities would go back to 2014.
Soren also announced that the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would investigate examinations conducted in Jharkhand since then. “All the mistakes, big or small, that have occurred since 2014 will be investigated. The CID will probe all exams held in Jharkhand since 2014,” he said.
The government also decided to form a committee to suggest reforms in the examination system. “We have decided to constitute a committee for reforms under the chairmanship of our IAS officer, Mr Amitabh Kaushal,” Soren said.
The Chief Minister further said that the results and selections linked to Lucknow-based TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) would be cancelled. “The results published by the TDPL, and all the candidates selected by the TDPL, or who participated, and all the activities of the TDPL that have taken place here, all of them should be cancelled,” Soren said.
JSSC-CGL paper leak at centre of protest
One of the major demands of the protesting students has been the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination. The examination had faced allegations of a question paper leak in 2024, adding to concerns over the recruitment process.
The students have also been demanding wider reforms in the examination system and an independent investigation into alleged irregularities in different recruitment examinations.
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato, who has been on hunger strike, was admitted to Sadar Hospital in Ranchi. Ministers and MLAs have visited him, and sources indicated that he may call off his fast soon. However, the wider student agitation is expected to continue unless the demand for a CBI investigation is accepted.
The state government’s decision came shortly after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to Soren asking him to meet the protesting students.
In his 14th August letter, Gandhi described the students’ protest as “peaceful” and their demands as “legitimate”. He also said Congress supports the right to peaceful protest and has backed students protesting against paper leaks and irregularities in the education system.
The development came after protesting students had also asked Gandhi to withdraw support from the coalition government if their concerns were not addressed. They had alleged that despite his support, the state government had taken “no concrete action”.
Rahul Gandhi writing a letter to CM Soren and the Jharkhand government accepting key demands of the student protestors is being portrayed by the Congress party as ‘Rahul Gandhi impact’. However, questions are being raised about why Gandhi did not write such a letter to Soren days earlier when police under his own party’s coalition government lathicharged students.
