Jharkhand Government Refuses to Cancel JSSC-CGL Exam Despite Student Demands

Students protesting in the capital of Jharkhand, Ranchi, plan to surround the legislative assembly building on Monday to support their demands. Negotiations between students and government representatives took place on Sunday and lasted for over five hours. The government attempted to end the movement by agreeing to several important student demands, but difficulties arose related to the CBI investigation.

The government is ready to cancel the JPSC exam for the 14th batch and conduct an investigation into this matter. Furthermore, the government agreed to the second set of student demands. Higher Education Minister Sudivya Kumar claims that about 98% of the starving students' demands have been met. Nevertheless, students insist that simply canceling the exam is insufficient; they demand an impartial investigation by the CBI regarding alleged hiring irregularities and exam paper leaks. Additionally, students firmly stand by their demand to cancel the JSSC-CGL exam.

This disagreement has moved the movement to a new stage. The government is calling on students to postpone demonstrations, while the students refuse to back down. Students announced plans to surround the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on August 10.

Meanwhile, a major event occurred at the JPSC on Sunday. Three commission members resigned to Governor Santosh Gangwar. The Governor accepted these resignation letters. The Chairman of the JPSC, L. Xiangte, had previously resigned. Thus, the path to restructuring the JPSC became clear.

Sunday in Ranchi was eventful. Meetings were held from morning until late at night. On one hand, the government tried to find a compromise to calm the youth, while on the other, the students remained unwavering in their core demands without any concessions. Below is a full overview of the day's events and the reasons for the disagreements.

On the 16th day of the movement, on Sunday morning, students began arriving in Ranchi from various parts of the state. The crowd of applicants near the old legislative assembly complex and Morabadi field became so large that the temporary tent was too small. Given the gathering of people, a new stage was organized.

Six students who have been on an ongoing hunger strike for several days are on the stage, and a team of doctors is constantly monitoring their health. The youth's position is very clear: this time the fight will not end with just promises.

A significant event took place at the administrative department during the day. Amid strong opposition from students and increased police surveillance, three members of the Jharkhand Public Service (JPSC)—Dr. Azit Bhattacharya, Dr. Anima Hansada, and Dr. Jamal Ahmed—simultaneously resigned from their posts. All three submitted their resignation letters in Rajbawan, which was immediately approved by Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar. The reason was that the CID team investigating hiring irregularities issued summons for questioning to these three members. Azit Bhattacharya was scheduled for August 10, Jamal Ahmed for August 12, and Anima Hansada for August 14.

These resignations, occurring shortly before the scheduled interrogation dates, caused confusion in administrative circles. Previously, the commission chairman L. Xiangte had also decided to resign on July 22. After the departure of the three members, the commission structure was completely emptied.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has canceled the booking of hall SSS-1, which was scheduled for August 10th to discuss Umar Khalid's book titled 'Fractured Communities'. The event was planned to take place from three in the afternoon to six in the evening.

According to a notification issued by the university, the administration decided to cancel the booking because the application form for renting the premises did not provide complete information about the planned event.

This event was originally planned by JNUSU in honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Among the intended speakers were Professor Prabhu Mahapatra, Professor Uma Chakravarty, and Harsh Mandar. Although hall SSS-1 was booked for the event, the university canceled the reservation before the event even began. The university explained this by stating that the form used for reserving the hall lacked all program details.

The letter canceling the booking was issued by the joint registrar and received approval from the Dean of SSS.

It was planned that this event would take place on August 10th from 15:00 to 18:00. A number of professors and social activists were expected to participate. JNUSU organized this event as part of the celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day to discuss issues related to indigenous peoples.

JNU stated that the process of booking halls or other venues on campus must be clear and comply with established rules. The cancellation of the hall booking occurred just one day before the scheduled event. The university emphasized that this decision was made within the framework of established rules and necessary procedures related to program information.

The scandal, which began with allegations of opening examination material envelopes and the disappearance of OMR sheets in the 14th JPSC exam (PT), has escalated into the largest student movement in Jharkhand's history. However, since students are demanding not so much the purity of the exams themselves as an investigation by the supervisory agency, the question arises whether this movement casts doubt on the integrity of the government's own investigative body.

As a result of a sit-in strike at the Jai Pal Singh Stadium in Ranchi, the government was compelled to form a special commission comprising four ministers (Dipika Pandey Singh, Chamra Linda, Sudivya Kumar Sonu, Sanjay Prasad) and senior IAS officer Ajay Kumar. Although the state government is conducting an investigation through the CID, students insist on a CBI investigation into all seven disputed JPSC and JSSC exams conducted between 2019 and 2026, rather than just canceling one exam.

Students argue that the more than 19 arrests made by state agencies (CID) are themselves proof that the OMR sheets were obtained illegally and that a 'collusive' system was organized. Nevertheless, they believe this only catches small fry, leaving major 'crocodiles' unpunished. This is why students are now demanding the intervention of the central investigating agency—the CBI.

The history of JPSC and JSSC exams since 2019 has been marked by several incidents: in 2019-20, students approached the High Court regarding disputed JPSC lists and cut-off scores. In 2021, disputes arose over discrepancies in the Answer Key and the lack of transparency in the selection process for JPSC. In 2022, a statewide protest occurred over cut-off scores and a suspicious evaluation system for JSSC. In 2023, a leak of JSSC CGL examination materials on social media shortly before the exam drew judicial attention. In 2024, the use of Dummy Candidates was uncovered, and an organized cheating syndicate was exposed in JGGLCCE-JSSC CGL. And in 2025, students pointed to a lack of transparency in JSSC results and accused authorities of favoring favorites. The last major protest, involving a strike and the initiation of a CID investigation, took place in 2026 during the 14th JPSC PT exam.

The state government asserts that the CID investigation is actively underway, with over 19 arrests made so far, including examination center operators, middlemen, and suspects. Despite this, students claim that state investigative bodies are only dealing with low-level 'racketeers' and closing cases. They emphasize that the network of material leaks and covert access extends to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, and only the central agency (CBI) can conduct such an investigation.

'Abhay Tiwari' has become the symbol of the syndicate that allows people to enter the top lists without taking the exam or by leaving the OMR sheet blank. Students are now opposing any such syndicate. This is why, even on the 13th day, despite heavy rain, all students continue their protest.

Students have clearly stated that if the four-minister government commission wishes to negotiate, it must appear at this open venue at the stadium. Student trust in closed-door meetings in offices has been completely lost.