Indian students step up exam protests in Jharkhand
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Students and job applicants on a hunger strike during a protest against alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand state.
PHOTO: AFP
- Indian students in Jharkhand are protesting alleged irregularities in government recruitment exams, with some on hunger strike demanding systemic change and cancellation of exams by a private company.
- Hundreds of protesters marched to the state assembly guarded by police after failed talks, demanding a federal investigation and accountability for the exam process.
- Jharkhand's Chief Minister accepted some demands and civil service officials resigned, reflecting wider youth frustration over exam integrity and public job access in India.
AI generated
NEW DELHI – Indian students marched towards the state assembly in Jharkhand on Aug 10, escalating protests over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations, with several students also on hunger strike.
Protests in Ranchi, capital of the eastern state home to more than 33 million people, began on July 29, days after a youth-led “cockroach” movement in New Delhi forced the resignation of the national education minister.
At least six protesters are on hunger strike, including student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, 33, who has been fasting for more than a week.
“We want the whole system to change,” Mahto said, as quoted by Indian media outlets, demanding an end to the use of a private company that conducts tests for the state civil service.
On Aug 10, hundreds of police officers guarded the assembly behind barbed-wire barricades, after repeated talks between the protesters and the state government failed to reach an agreement. Large crowds of students chanting slogans marched towards the state assembly.
The protesters are demanding the cancellation of several exams conducted by the private company on behalf of the state government, as well as an investigation by federal police into their conduct.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has sought to defuse the protests by accepting some demands, while several members of the civil service body overseeing the exams have stepped down.
“Every problem can be resolved through dialogue,” Soren said in a speech on Aug 9.
The New Delhi protesters, organised by the online Cockroach Janta Party, rallied for 36 days over alleged failures in India’s examination system, before then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down – giving the movement an unusual victory and turning exam integrity into a major political issue.
The Jharkhand protests echo those demands, reflecting wider frustration among young Indians who see government exams as a key route to employment in a country where millions compete for limited public-sector jobs.
The New Delhi protests challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but the Jharkhand rallies are demanding change from the state government, which stands in opposition to the BJP. AFP
