Jharkhand Youth Protest Over Exam Leaks
Hundreds of students have gathered at a stadium in Ranchi, the capital of eastern state Jharkhand, and have been hungrily sleeping or eating only when necessary since 25 July, demanding a transparent and fair civil service examination process.
The protests began after preliminary exam results announced in July were allegedly marred by leaked answer sheets shared on social media, which indicated some candidates answered far fewer questions than remaining marks. These suspicions galvanized thousands of candidates who had spent years preparing for the exam, and they now seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and a scrapping of the contested exam.
One of the faces of the movement is 27‑year‑old Umme Habiba from Bokaro, who had sat the exam three times. Her refusal to leave the protest site is rooted in the belief that the test may have been manipulated, and she vows to stay until justice is served. Another central protester is Devendra Nath Mahto, a former state election candidate who has called on all those who have not yet appeared for the test to prepare, saying “Even if I didn’t take the exam today, I will have to take it tomorrow.”
Political leaders have lent their support, with the BJP calling for a federal inquiry and the Congress also expressing solidarity with the youth. Yet the protesters insist that the movement remains under their own leadership, not party control, and invite politicians to stand aside from their flags.
The state’s public service commission has postponed the next exam stage, and its chairman resigned after the allegations, while investigators have begun probing the private company that handled parts of the exam. The protesters now want the investigations to be trustworthy and the recruitment process expedited, as many in the state are still dependent on their families while awaiting hiring.
The crowd at Ranchi’s stadium is a mix of hunger strike activists and supporters who bring food and supplies, creating a living circle that continues through rain and change in morale. At night, they keep the chill with portraits of prominent freedom fighters on tarpaulins, while in the afternoon, the camp swells with speeches and chants, reaffirming their cease‑no‑back stance.
