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Jharkhand exam protest: Fresh talks between govt., agitators on August 17 as stir enters day 24
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Job aspirants and students protest against the Jharkhand government demanding a probe into recruitment exam irregularities conducted by the JPSC and JSSC, at Albert Ekka Chowk, in Ranchi, Sunday, on August 16, 2026. | A day earlier, the demonstrators burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, accusing the JMM-Congress alliance of "failing to take concrete action" on their demands.Later in the evening, the Hemant Soren government invited the protestors for a fresh round of talks at 2 p.m. on Monday (August 17).The proposed meeting will be the seventh round of talks between the government and the agitating students. The previous rounds of talks failed to yield any breakthrough.The decision came following a meeting between the protestors and the sub-divisional officer and the additional district magistrate (Law and Order) at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium."We will definitely go for the talks as we want to resolve the issue through dialogue. We are firm on two of our demands -- a CBI probe into irregularities in recruitment exams and cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exams," JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan told reporters.Led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, the protestors are demanding a CBI probe into the irregularities in recruitment exams and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination.The agitators took out a torchlight procession from the protest site of Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk on Sunday (August 16), where they burnt the effigies. Several districts witnessed similar protests.The students expressed disappointment over the ruling JMM-Congress alliance "failing to take tangible action" on their demands, and alleged that the government was playing politics over issues concerning the future of job aspirants.The agitators had on Saturday (August 15) announced that they would gherao the Chief Minister's residence on August 20, and appealed to students from across Jharkhand to assemble in Ranchi for the demonstration."We seek the CM's resignation, as both the JMM and the Congress have been playing politics with us," Mr. Paswan alleged.The protestors have also demanded that the Congress withdraw its support from the JMM-led government if the Chief Minister fails to act on their concerns.Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, on Sunday urged Mr. Soren to accept the students' demands and backed their call for a CBI investigation."The students have been demanding a CBI probe into the irregularities, and I think the government should order it. Why does the government fear this?" Mr. Marandi said.He said continued government "inaction" could force more youth and students to take to the streets.On the proposed gherao of the CM's residence, Mr. Marandi said the BJP would extend moral support to the students, who have been protesting "peacefully" for more than three weeks.The Congress has said its State unit would discuss the issue at a meeting on August 18."Any attempt to harm the future of Jharkhand's youth will not be tolerated," state Congress media in-charge Rakesh Sinha said, adding that the party would raise the students' concerns and push for transparency, impartiality and a time-bound recruitment process.The protestors have also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that although he had expressed support for students, no concrete action followed.The Jharkhand government has sought to reassure the job aspirants by announcing measures aimed at making the recruitment process more transparent and secure.The measures outlined by the government include a time-bound annual examination calendar, technology-secured examinations, timely publication of answe
Several aspirants who appeared for the Bombay High Court clerk recruitment typing test launched a protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sunday (August 16, 2026), joined by CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke, alleging technical failures and server glitches during the online examination.Mr. Dipke alleged that several candidates were declared failed without their fault and joined the demonstration demanding that the test be conducted afresh.A communication issued by the Bombay High Court registrar (personnel) stated the typing examination was conducted smoothly for the post of clerk (through the agency), though a few technical issues were reported at certain examination centres, particularly at Aurangabad and Kalyan.The technical issues, if any, in regard to the said process conducted at the hands of the Agency are being examined, and the candidates shall be duly informed by official communication about further appropriate course of action, it said.Candidates complained that computers failed to function, with some saying their screens turned yellow and keyboards stopped working. Fearing that they would miss the examination, the candidates demanded that the test be conducted afresh.Around 2,900 candidates from Marathwada and Vidarbha appeared for the examination at various centres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while around 13,000 candidates across Maharashtra were eligible for the test conducted in three sessions for 1,300 posts under the High Court's Nagpur and Aurangabad benches.The alleged disruption occurred between the 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. session.Mr. Dipke visited the examination centre in the Surananagar area in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after learning about the alleged disruption and met the affected candidates.He said aspirants had travelled from Beed, Ambajogai, Amravati, Latur and other parts of Maharashtra to appear for the examination."When the students sat for the examination, they found that some computers were not working properly. In some cases, the mouse and keyboards were not functioning, while in others the screens were not working. Within 10 minutes, the aspirants were logged out," he told reporters and claimed it was the failure of the system and the government, and not of job seekers.He alleged that authorities dismissed complaints and told candidates that they didn't know how to take an examination."If the authorities are so intelligent, why did they not install proper computers and functioning keyboards beforehand? Why did they not ensure that the servers were working properly?" Mr. Dipke asked.He said several candidates had travelled long distances and had been preparing for the examination for six to seven months."Where will they go now? What will they tell their parents? Will they go home with a failure certificate and say that they failed because the server was not working?" Mr. Dipke asked.He demanded that the authorities immediately issue a written notification announcing a re-examination."The examination must be conducted again, and it should not be held on the same computers. This should not happen again because the future of these aspirants is at stake," he said.The Cockroach Janta Party founder demanded that the district court judge, who he said was present inside the examination centre, come out, speak to candidates, and provide them a written assurance about a re-test."Until the demands of these candidates are fulfilled, I will remain here with them. If they have decided to sit in protest, I will support them," he said.He also criticised the conduct of online examinations, saying authorities should not hold such tests if they were unable to ensure functioning computers and servers."If you are not capable of conducting online examinations, why are you conducting them and ruining the future of students?" Mr. Dipke questioned.He alleged that the incident reflected the broader problem of inadequate infrastructure in educational institutions and said he had earlier raised similar concerns regarding sch
North Andhra Teachers' Constituency MLC Gade Srinivasula Naidu addressing the media in Vizianagaram on Thursday. | Addressing the media, he said that it was improper to seek the resignation of Minister for Education Nara Lokesh, who had fulfilled the NDA’s electoral promises to recruit teachers.Addressing unsuccessful candidates, Mr. Srinivasulu said: “there is no wait-list policy in the recruitment process,” and urged them to prepare again for the examination as the government is set to issue another notification for DSC recruitment.He added that the teachers’ associations had not raised any objections regarding the recruitment process, and claimed it was done in accordance with the rules and regulations. Published - August 13, 2026 08:57 pm IST
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