Students in Ranchi ended a 16-day hunger strike after the Jharkhand government cancelled contested recruitment exams and ordered a criminal investigation [1, 2].
The resolution follows weeks of unrest over alleged irregularities in state employment tests. The protests highlight growing public demand for transparency in the civil service recruitment process within the state.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren and ministers Dipika Pandey Singh and Irfan Ansari accepted the protesters' demands. The government cancelled the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam [1]. Additionally, the state cancelled all examinations conducted by TDPL [1].
To address the alleged tainting of the process, the government ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) [3]. While the government opted for the CID, some political figures, including BJP MPs, had called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) [4].
Student leader Devendra Mahto, who led the fast, called off the protest on July 22, 2024 [2]. The hunger strike lasted 16 days [1].
"Today marks a huge victory for Jharkhand," Mahto said. "While I am now suspending my protest, my struggle for reform will continue" [1].
The protests centered on claims that the recruitment exams were compromised, leading to widespread distrust among candidates. The cancellation of the JSSC-CGL and TDPL tests is intended to reset the process and ensure a fair competition for state positions [1, 2].
“"Today marks a huge victory for Jharkhand."”
The cancellation of these high-stakes exams and the subsequent CID probe signal a concession by the Jharkhand government to intense grassroots pressure. By voiding the results of the JSSC-CGL and TDPL tests, the state acknowledges systemic failures in exam integrity. However, the choice of a state-level CID probe over a federal CBI investigation may remain a point of contention for opposition parties and skeptical candidates.
