Jharkhand Protest Risk: Hunger Strike Over Exam Irregularities

Unne Habiba, 27, from Bokaro, said she completed a BA in English in 2019 and was among the district’s top 10 students. While still in her first year of college in 2017, she began preparing for the Panchayat Secretary recruitment. “I cleared the examination,” she said. By the time the process progressed, Habiba found she was a day short of the age eligibility for two posts, including the Lower Division Clerk post. She claimed the 2017 recruitment had 3,088 vacancies across five posts. She scored 349 marks against a cut-off around 322, but the delay turned age eligibility into a barrier. “Two lists have been released, while I have been waiting for the third for around three years. After all these scams and corruption, I am not sure if my name will appear in the last list,” she said.

Rupesh Kumar Pal, 30, from Garhwa, holds a Master's degree in English and Political Science. He said he performed well in the JSSC CGL recruitment, scoring around 83%, but his result was not declared. He claimed candidates who scored lower were eventually selected. Pal approached the Jharkhand High Court in September 2025, with more than 100 candidates joining the challenge. The 2024 examination was held after repeated delays and allegations of a paper leak. “After the 2024 examination, everyone alleged that the paper had been leaked. Students approached the commission and submitted material and evidence. The commission initially denied the allegation,” Pal claimed. An FIR led to an SIT investigation. “The first CID team found evidence supporting the allegation,” he said. Late last year, the government rejected the first team's findings and constituted a second team whose conclusions differed. The matter remains before the high court.

Savita Kumari, a Ranchi resident, said she appeared for the JSSC CGL examination twice, the municipal recruitment, the Excise Constable recruitment, and the JPSC examination. The Jharkhand Excise Constable Competitive Examination (JECCE) 2023 stretched on for years. During physical tests in August 2024, 11 candidates died while undertaking the running test at different centres. Savita cleared the physical test but continued to wait for the written examination, which was finally held in April 2026. Hours before the exam, police raided an under-construction building in Rargaon, detaining 159 candidates and alleged masterminds.

The protests pose a risk to the state's administrative stability and could delay or disrupt future recruitment cycles. Investors with exposure to Jharkhand-based industries – mining, steel, and infrastructure – may face operational uncertainty if the protests escalate or the government's response is seen as inadequate. The hunger strike continues, and the high court has yet to issue a final ruling on the CBI investigation demand. The next scheduled court hearing could determine whether the agitation expands or begins to de-escalate.