The scale of the Gen-Z movement that erupted in New Delhi following the leak of the nationwide NEET exam paper is well known — a movement that showed no signs of slowing until then-Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to resign. That wave of protest has now spread to Jharkhand as well. Large-scale irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations, along with allegations of fraudulent candidate selections, are now driving serious unrest in the state. The situation has grown increasingly tense as candidate leaders such as Devendra Nath Mahato, joined by hundreds of aspirants, have launched fasts-unto-death in protest.
After the JPSC preliminary results were announced, a carbon copy of one candidate’s OMR sheet went viral online. The candidate in question had marked answers to only 48 of the 100 questions, yet was found to have qualified for the next round — leading students to allege that OMR sheets were pulled out, altered, and used to grant “backdoor” entries. Candidates have also complained that at several centers where the 14th JPSC preliminary examination was conducted, the seals on question paper envelopes were found already broken before the exam began. Alleging widespread irregularities in the examination process, lakhs of unemployed youth and students have taken to the streets in protest. The unrest has not been confined to the JPSC alone — question papers have reportedly been leaked in nearly seven different government recruitment examinations in Jharkhand over the past four to five years, including the JSSC-CGL exam, further fueling the movement.
Students have expressed strong anger over the outsourcing of examination conduct to private agencies and allegations that a single syndicate has been behind the malpractice. The Hemant Soren government has already ordered a CID investigation into the matter, and the CID has so far arrested more than 19 people in connection with the case. However, candidates allege that the investigating agencies are protecting the bigger culprits while catching only minor players, and are demanding that the scandal be investigated either by the CBI or under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. Protesters have announced plans to intensify their agitation in the coming days and have called for a march on the state assembly.
With protests escalating, the Jharkhand government has constituted a high-level committee comprising four ministers and senior IAS officers to look into the matter. However, students are insisting that discussions be held openly with them at the protest site itself, inside the stadium. Opposition parties have also thrown their support behind the students’ demands, urging the government to immediately remove JPSC board members and order a CBI investigation. Candidates have made clear that they will not back down until a thorough investigation is completed and justice is delivered, stating that seven years of hard work and preparation are now being sacrificed to the greed of the commission.