Protests grow in Indian state over alleged exam irregularities
The protesters demand that an exam held in April be cancelled and a federal agency investigate alleged irregularities in other tests.
Allegations of examination irregularities have sparked growing protests in the Indian state of Jharkhand, with Devendra Nath Mahto on a hunger strike since Sunday.
Hundreds of students and individuals seeking government employment are demonstrating in Jharkhand, demanding the cancellation and re-administration of a preliminary civil service exam held in April. They also call for India's leading investigative agency to probe alleged misconduct in other state recruitment examinations.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has stated that the allegations are under investigation and has pledged that students will receive justice.
These protests have garnered national attention, particularly after a significant youth-led demonstration in Delhi concerning exam paper leaks led to a federal minister's resignation last month. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement that spearheaded the Delhi protests, has declared its support for the Jharkhand demonstrators.
The protests in Jharkhand commenced on July 25 and escalated four days later when demonstrators gathered at a stadium in Ranchi, the state capital, for an indefinite sit-in. They are demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the establishment of a fast-track court to address cases related to the alleged irregularities.
Several protesters, including political activist Devendra Nath Mahto, who ran in the last state election with the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha party, have been on a hunger strike since Sunday to support these demands. Students have been protesting for nearly two weeks over exam irregularities.
The controversy erupted following the results of last month's preliminary civil service exam. Some candidates alleged that answer sheets shared online indicated successful applicants had answered fewer questions than anticipated, fueling suspicions of manipulation. Hundreds of thousands of individuals take these highly competitive exams annually due to the prized security and stability offered by government jobs.
The dispute has since expanded to encompass broader allegations concerning recruitment exams across the state. Chief Minister Hemant Soren confirmed that a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe is underway, including claims that the exam contract was awarded to an agency previously implicated in irregularities. More than a dozen people have been arrested.
Jharkhand Public Service Commission chairman L Khiangte resigned on July 22, prior to the protests. The commission subsequently postponed the main examination.
The protests have ignited a political firestorm in Jharkhand, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in opposition. The Congress party, which governs the state alongside Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) but is in national opposition, has highlighted exam paper leaks and the police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi as a key issue against Modi's government. The party has expressed its support for the protests in Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, the BJP has staged protests outside the state assembly against the government, and some of its lawmakers have met with the protesters to announce their support.
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