Jharkhand [India], August 10 – Student protests intensified in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand on Monday after a sixth round of talks with the state government failed to resolve a dispute over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations.
Hundreds of protesters marched toward the state assembly in Ranchi demanding an independent investigation into the alleged exam fraud. Authorities tightened security across the capital installing razor fencing on key routes leading to the assembly and enforcing restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 750-metre radius of the legislature. Most schools in Ranchi remained closed due to the demonstrations.
The protests gained further momentum after the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case to investigate alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission.
The talks held on Sunday between Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s government and student representatives ended without an agreement. While the government claimed it had accepted nearly 98 percent of the students’ demands, protest leaders rejected the assertion saying their core concerns remain unresolved.
Students are seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged recruitment exam irregularities since 2019, cancellation of several state recruitment examinations, stricter action against those responsible, greater transparency in the recruitment process and publication of an annual examination calendar similar to those followed by India’s UPSC and SSC.
