Ranchi: Students who had been agitating against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations on Wednesday suspended their 26-day protest and gave the state government a two-month deadline to resolve outstanding issues and ensure a fair inquiry, organisers said.
Government action follows sustained agitation
The decision to pause the agitation came a day after the JMM-led state government issued notifications cancelling 22 recruitment examinations and ordering probes into 23 others conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and an outsourced agency since 2014, organisers of the protest reported.
Student representatives, who had been camped at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, described the government move as a partial victory and said they were halting demonstrations to allow authorities time to carry out enquiries.
Leaders set conditions and timeline
Ravindra Paswan, a leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said the suspension of the stir followed sustained pressure from students. The Manch also announced that three protesters — Rupesh Kumar Pal, Savita Kumari and Rahul Kranti — had ended their 15-day fast on Wednesday.
“The 26-day protest by students forced J'khand government to cancel 22 recruitment exams and launch a probe into 23 others,” said Ravindra Paswan, according to the organisers.
Another spokesperson, Piyush Kumar Singh, warned that the students would relaunch a large-scale agitation if their concerns were not addressed within the two-month timeframe. The protesters also demanded withdrawal of FIRs registered after the August 10 march to the Assembly and reinstatement of whistleblower Santosh Kumar Mastana in the finance department, the organisers said.
Impact on candidates and administrative response
The cancellations have created immediate uncertainty for candidates who had cleared the tests and were subsequently appointed to various state government departments, organisers and candidates said. Among the cancelled examinations was the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) test, which prompted protests from about 2,000 successful candidates who marched from the state Secretariat to Birsa Chowk in Ranchi on Tuesday.
Students expressed sympathy for those who might lose employment as a consequence of the cancellations, while holding the government responsible for the upheaval. They said they expected the probes to identify those responsible and recommend corrective measures to prevent recurrence of irregularities.
What protesters want
- Completion of a fair, impartial probe into alleged exam irregularities dating back to 2014.
- Withdrawal of FIRs linked to the August 10 march to the Assembly.
- Reinstatement of whistleblower Santosh Kumar Mastana in the finance department.
- Institutional measures to prevent leaks, corruption and undue lobbying in recruitment processes.
Background and wider concerns
Student leaders said the agitation included phases of hunger strike and satyagraha and drew participants from across the state. In statements at the protest site, they framed the movement as a broader demand for systemic reform to root out what they described as an "education mafia" undermining merit-based recruitment.
The state government's notifications cancelling examinations and ordering probes cover tests conducted by both statutory bodies — JPSC and JSSC — and an outsourced agency. The actions indicate administrative acknowledgement of the seriousness of the students' allegations, but the protesters have made clear they will monitor the progress of investigations closely.
Next steps and monitoring
With the two-month deadline now running, student leaders said they will reconvene if the government does not provide satisfactory progress reports or take visible steps to implement corrective measures. The government is yet to publicly detail the terms of reference for the probes or a timeline for completion.
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Cancelled recruitment exams | 22 |
| Exams ordered for probe | 23 |
| Protest duration | 26 days |
| Protesters who ended fast | 3 |
Officials have not yet released a detailed public statement on the investigative mechanism or committee composition. The students have asked Chief Minister Hemant Soren to initiate stringent measures to prevent recurrence of such irregularities. They said they remained grateful to the supporters of the movement but reserved the right to intensify protests should the government's response prove inadequate.
As the state awaits the outcome of the probes, candidates affected by the cancellations face immediate uncertainty about their employment status and next steps, while the broader debate focuses on transparency and accountability in recruitment to public service in Jharkhand.
