What began as anger over one examination has grown into a wider fight for fairness, transparency and hope, as hundreds of young people say they will not leave the streets until they are heard.
Hundreds of students and government job applicants have continued their protest in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand, demanding the cancellation of a civil service examination they believe was compromised by irregularities.
The protest, which began on 25 July in the state capital, Ranchi, has turned into a round-the-clock demonstration. Many students are sleeping at the protest ground, while others have gone on hunger strike, insisting they will not leave until action is taken.
Among them is 27-year-old Umme Habiba, who has spent years preparing for the state civil service examination.
“We want justice. We will not leave until we get it, even if it costs us our lives,” she said.
The controversy started after the results of an April preliminary examination were released. Candidates claimed answer sheets shared online suggested some successful applicants had answered far fewer questions than expected, raising fears that the results had been manipulated.
The protesters are calling for the examination to be cancelled and conducted again. They also want India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the case and investigate wider claims of irregularities in government recruitment.
SEE ALSO: Jharkhand Students Intensify Protests Over Alleged Recruitment Exam Irregularities
State minister Deepika Pandey Singh said the government had already launched an investigation through the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before the protests intensified.
“We want a fair investigation,” she said, adding that anyone found guilty, “whether a bureaucrat, employee, middleman or a big politician,” would face action.
For many students, the issue is bigger than one examination. They say repeated delays, recruitment controversies and cancelled hiring processes have kept thousands waiting for years while their careers and personal lives remain on hold.
The movement has also received support from the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which organised similar nationwide protests over examination paper leaks in Delhi last month.
Despite political parties expressing support, protesters insist the movement belongs to students alone. They say they are no longer asking for promises, but for a recruitment system they can trust and a future built on merit rather than suspicion.
