As the JPSC-JSSC recruitment agitation enters its 23rd day, one hunger striker warns he may not survive, and student leaders plan to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20
A student-led protest movement in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations has reached a critical juncture, with one protester on hunger strike warning that his health has deteriorated to the point where he fears for his life. The agitation, which began nearly a month ago in Ranchi, is now set to escalate further, with organisers announcing plans to surround Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence later this month.
Students staging a sit-in protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi over JPSC-JSSC recruitment exam irregularities
How the Protest Began
The movement traces back to July 29, when aspirants for posts under the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission began a sit-in at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Their core grievance centres on alleged malpractices in recruitment examinations, including claims of question paper leaks and a lack of transparency in how the exams were conducted and evaluated.
Organising under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, the protesters have laid out a clear set of demands. Chief among them is the cancellation of the 14th JPSC preliminary examination, along with a CBI or judicial inquiry into the alleged irregularities. They have also called for a more transparent process to be put in place for all future recruitment exams conducted by the two commissions.
A Hunger Strike Turns Serious
What began as a sit-in has since escalated into an indefinite hunger strike led by student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, joined by fellow protester Prem Nayak. As of Sunday, the demonstration had entered its 23rd day, with Nayak marking the 13th day of his hunger strike. Speaking from the protest site, he described his condition as critical, noting that a fever had set in and that he had declined an offer to be taken for medical treatment.
Nayak also alleged that authorities had taken Mahto away and were not permitting him to return to the protest site, a claim that has added to tensions between the demonstrators and the state administration.
The situation grew more fraught around Independence Day, when Mahto alleged that police prevented him from joining a Tiranga Yatra organised by the protesters on August 15 and accused personnel of assaulting students during the incident.
Escalation on the Horizon
With their demands still unmet, student leaders have signalled a sharp escalation in tactics. They have announced plans to gherao Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s official residence in Ranchi on August 20, explicitly demanding his resignation over what they describe as government inaction. A day earlier, protesters burned effigies of both Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi across all 24 district headquarters in the state, a symbolic gesture aimed at drawing attention to what they see as political indifference toward their cause.
Opposition Weighs In
The protest has also drawn political attention beyond the state’s ruling establishment. Jharkhand’s Leader of Opposition, Babulal Marandi, has publicly urged the state government to engage directly with the protesting students rather than maintain its current position. He called on officials to pay attention to the students’ demands and to hold talks with them without further delay, framing the government’s continued silence as counterproductive.
A Recurring Flashpoint
This is not the first time recruitment practices under the JPSC and JSSC have triggered public unrest in Jharkhand. Student groups have periodically clashed with authorities over similar concerns in past years, including disputes over exam age eligibility criteria and allegations of malpractice in earlier competitive examinations. What sets the current agitation apart is both its duration and the severity of the hunger strike now unfolding at its centre, factors that have pushed the issue toward becoming one of the state’s most closely watched political flashpoints of the year.
What Happens Next
With a hunger striker’s health reportedly worsening and a residence gherao planned for August 20, the coming days are likely to determine whether the Soren government moves to open a dialogue with protesters or allows the standoff to deepen further. How the state responds, both to the health concerns raised by the hunger strike and to the broader demand for an independent inquiry, will shape not only the outcome of this movement but also the political narrative heading into the following weeks.
