Jharkhand Students March To Assembly Over Recruitment Exam Row, Demand CBI Probe

Thousands of students marched towards the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly in Ranchi on Monday, intensifying their protest over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations. 

The agitation has entered its 17th day, with repeated talks between student representatives and the state government failing to break the deadlock.

Carrying the national flag and flowers, the protesters said the Assembly march was a peaceful demonstration seeking the cancellation of controversial recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), along with a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.

Protest enters 17th day

The protest gathered momentum after the third round of negotiations with the state government ended without any breakthrough on Sunday. 

Following the failed talks, students from districts across Jharkhand travelled to Ranchi by buses, trains, and private vehicles to participate in the Assembly gherao.

Many aspirants reached the state capital a day earlier and spent the night in public spaces, including Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, Atal Smriti Vendor Market, and the verandas of nearby buildings.

Students call for unity and transparency

Speaking during the march, one of the protesters appealed to students across the state to join the movement.

The student said aspirants from different communities and castes had united for a common cause and that the protest was being conducted peacefully, with flowers carried as a symbol of non-violence.

Another protester accused the administration of creating obstacles for the demonstrators and said it took several hours for students to reach the protest site near the Assembly.

Several participants questioned why the government was unwilling to order a CBI investigation if there was nothing to conceal. Protesters said they were seeking transparency and accountability in the recruitment process.

Heavy security deployment in Ranchi

Anticipating large-scale demonstrations, the Ranchi administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) within a 750-metre radius of the Assembly complex.

Heavy barricading was put in place at around a dozen key locations leading to the Assembly, with barbed wire installed at several points. Around 2,000 additional police personnel, Rapid Action Force (RAF) units, riot-control vehicles, and water cannons were deployed across the city.

Although the state government directed security personnel to exercise restraint and avoid unnecessary force, the extensive barricading and barbed-wire installations have sparked a political controversy in Jharkhand.

Recruitment exams remain at the centre of the dispute

The students’ agitation centres on allegations of irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by JPSC and JSSC. Protesters are demanding that the disputed examinations be cancelled, recruitment processes be reformed, and an independent investigation be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

With talks stalled and the Assembly march drawing large crowds, the recruitment exam controversy has emerged as a major political and administrative challenge for the Jharkhand government.