After Talks With Jharkhand Government, Students Say Protests To Continue
These students in Ranchi are not backing down.
For more than two weeks now they’ve been sitting at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Some are sleeping on the ground, a few have stopped eating completely. They’re angry about the same old story – paper leaks, delayed exams, private agencies handling papers like it’s a business, and the feeling that government jobs in Jharkhand are being sold instead of earned fairly.
Yesterday the government and the students sat down for the sixth round of talks. Minister Sudivya Kumar and a few others met them. After the meeting the minister came out and said, “We’ve accepted almost 98 percent of their demands.” They agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC prelims and the 2023 and 2025 backlog exams. They promised CID investigation, ED for the money side, fast-track courts, chargesheets in 90 days, and even bringing experts from IIM and XLRI to clean up the system. Three JPSC members also resigned the same day.
On paper it looks like a big win for the students.
But the students themselves don’t feel that way.
Ravindra Paswan, one of their leaders, said clearly – yes, some exams are being cancelled and reforms are being talked about, but the main thing we asked for is still missing. We want a CBI probe. No compromise on that. Another student, Kunal, said the same thing – the march to the Assembly tomorrow will happen, and the protest will continue until we get CBI.
You can see why they’re sticking to it. These students have seen state-level inquiries before. Many of them simply don’t trust it anymore. They feel only an outside agency can dig properly. The government is offering a retired judge to monitor things and CID-ED combination, but the students say that’s not enough.
Meanwhile some of them are getting weaker by the day. Devendra Nath Mahto has been on hunger strike for days. Doctors are checking them, blood sugar is dropping for a few, yet they refuse to leave. Their parents are worried, friends are bringing food and water for those who are still eating. The stadium has become like a temporary home for hundreds of aspirants who feel their future has been stolen.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has said justice will be done and that political parties should not mislead the youth. He has kept the door open. But the students keep saying verbal promises are not enough. They want it in writing and they want action, especially the CBI part.
Tomorrow, 10th August, they plan to go towards the Assembly. Police say they are ready. Students say it will be peaceful. Whether it stays peaceful depends on how both sides handle the next few hours.
This is not just about one or two exams anymore. It’s about trust. When so many young people in one state start believing that hard work doesn’t matter and only money or connections do, something is seriously broken.
The government has moved more than many expected. Cancelling three exams is not small. But until the students get the CBI probe they’re asking for, the tents are not coming down and the hunger strikers are not eating.
That’s where things stand right now.
Sources:
NDTV, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, India TV, The Tribune, Times Now and ground reports from Ranchi, 9 August 2026.
After Talks With Jharkhand Government, Students Say Protests To Continue
These students in Ranchi are not backing down.
For more than two weeks now they’ve been sitting at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Some are sleeping on the ground, a few have stopped eating completely. They’re angry about the same old story – paper leaks, delayed exams, private agencies handling papers like it’s a business, and the feeling that government jobs in Jharkhand are being sold instead of earned fairly.
Yesterday the government and the students sat down for the sixth round of talks. Minister Sudivya Kumar and a few others met them. After the meeting the minister came out and said, “We’ve accepted almost 98 percent of their demands.” They agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC prelims and the 2023 and 2025 backlog exams. They promised CID investigation, ED for the money side, fast-track courts, chargesheets in 90 days, and even bringing experts from IIM and XLRI to clean up the system. Three JPSC members also resigned the same day.
On paper it looks like a big win for the students.
But the students themselves don’t feel that way.
Ravindra Paswan, one of their leaders, said clearly – yes, some exams are being cancelled and reforms are being talked about, but the main thing we asked for is still missing. We want a CBI probe. No compromise on that. Another student, Kunal, said the same thing – the march to the Assembly tomorrow will happen, and the protest will continue until we get CBI.
You can see why they’re sticking to it. These students have seen state-level inquiries before. Many of them simply don’t trust it anymore. They feel only an outside agency can dig properly. The government is offering a retired judge to monitor things and CID-ED combination, but the students say that’s not enough.
Meanwhile some of them are getting weaker by the day. Devendra Nath Mahto has been on hunger strike for days. Doctors are checking them, blood sugar is dropping for a few, yet they refuse to leave. Their parents are worried, friends are bringing food and water for those who are still eating. The stadium has become like a temporary home for hundreds of aspirants who feel their future has been stolen.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has said justice will be done and that political parties should not mislead the youth. He has kept the door open. But the students keep saying verbal promises are not enough. They want it in writing and they want action, especially the CBI part.
Tomorrow, 10th August, they plan to go towards the Assembly. Police say they are ready. Students say it will be peaceful. Whether it stays peaceful depends on how both sides handle the next few hours.
This is not just about one or two exams anymore. It’s about trust. When so many young people in one state start believing that hard work doesn’t matter and only money or connections do, something is seriously broken.
The government has moved more than many expected. Cancelling three exams is not small. But until the students get the CBI probe they’re asking for, the tents are not coming down and the hunger strikers are not eating.
That’s where things stand right now.
Sources:
NDTV, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, India TV, The Tribune, Times Now and ground reports from Ranchi, 9 August 2026.
@Rohit Manral
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