Jharkhand students hunger-strike, demanding exam cancellation and chief minister's visit

In Ranchi, a group of eight government-job aspirants has occupied a protest site for 20 days, with Devendra Nath Mahto and seven peers undertaking a hunger strike, three of whom are now receiving hospital care. Their complaints focus on alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment examinations, repeated postponements since 2016, and an age-limit policy they say unfairly excludes long-waiting candidates. They demand that chief minister Hemant Soren meet them, that the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission exam be scrapped, and that a CBI-led or retired-judge panel investigate the matter.

The protest follows recent CID arrests of JPSC officials and a governor’s request for a detailed inquiry after errors in question papers. The situation mirrors broader exam-related controversies in Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and elsewhere, where leaks, delays and legal battles have disrupted thousands of candidates’ career plans. Aspirants warn that continual setbacks erode confidence, waste years of preparation and can lead to severe mental-health impacts. The movement underscores the high personal cost of a government job exam that repeatedly stalls.