Jharkhand Students March to Assembly as Protests Over Exam Irregularities Intensify

Students in Jharkhand on Monday (August 10, 2026) proceeded with their planned 'Vidhan Sabha March' despite prohibitory orders imposed by the state police around the assembly premises. Security arrangements have been tightened across the state capital in view of the protest, which has been ongoing for more than two weeks against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

Protesters have alleged that police forcefully stopped hundreds of students arriving in the capital from different parts of Jharkhand. The police have not yet issued an official statement on these allegations. The demonstration comes a day after the state government agreed to cancel several examinations in response to student demands, but the protesters remain firm on their call for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

On Sunday, August 9, the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and the JPSC backlog examinations conducted in 2023 and 2025. This decision followed six hours of discussions between government representatives and protesting student groups. All three members of the JPSC subsequently resigned, and Chief Minister Hemant Soren assured protesters that “justice will be delivered with full transparency”.

Despite these concessions, student organisations, including the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) and the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said the agitation would continue. Their central demand remains the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and all other exams associated with TSR Data Processing Private Limited, an agency that has been blacklisted by the state government. The students have insisted on a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination, arguing that a fair probe is essential to ensure accountability.

The protests have drawn attention to broader concerns about recruitment processes in the state, particularly for Adivasi youth who see these examinations as a means to gain a voice in the system that governs them. The situation remains tense as students gather in large numbers, and authorities are monitoring the march to prevent any escalation.

This development underscores the ongoing friction between state institutions and student movements demanding transparency and justice. The government's decision to cancel the examinations has been seen as a partial victory for the protesters, but the unresolved demand for a CBI probe indicates that the standoff is far from over.