Jharkhand exam row: Students threaten Assembly gherao on Aug 10

Ranchi: Amid intensifying protests over alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), JSSC CGL and other recruitment examinations, agitating students on Thursday announced a "Vidhan Sabha Gherao" on August 10 if their demands are not met.

The announcement comes as the Monsoon Session of the Jharkhand Assembly is set to commence on Thursday, with the examination row expected to remain a key political issue.

Protester Radhe Kumar said the decision to gherao the Assembly was taken after the government initiated contact with the agitating students.


"The blockade (gherao) of the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) is scheduled for August 10. Yesterday, some government officials, including the SDO, came to meet us, and we conveyed our demands to them. If our demands are not met, hundreds of thousands of us will march to surround the Legislative Assembly on the 10th," Kumar told ANI.

He said the protesters were demanding the cancellation of the JPSC and JSSC CGL examinations and other recruitment tests conducted through TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL).

"We are surrounding the Assembly because our core demands and issues centre on cancelling the JPSC and CGL examinations. Furthermore, we demand the complete cancellation of every exam conducted under the present government by the agency TDPL. Following these cancellations, we demand a CBI and ED investigation, followed by comprehensive structural reforms in the JSSC, JPSC and CGL examination systems," he said.

Alleging that students had faced injustice since the formation of Jharkhand, Kumar said the ongoing agitation would continue until the demands were addressed.

"It has been 26 years since Jharkhand was created, and throughout these 26 years, students have been suppressed and crushed. Time and again we have launched protests, and time and again efforts were made to crush our movement. But this time in 2026, this movement will not be suppressed," he said.

State Minister Radhakrishna Kishore howver cliamed that the State government was ready to discuss all issues with student and a team of ministers had been formed for this.

"A team of Cabinet ministers has been formed to hold discussions with them. The team will listen to the students' concerns and act as a bridge between the government and the students. The message is clear: the government is committed to the welfare of the state's youth and students, and to ensuring that they receive justice. I would also like to appeal to the students to begin talks with the government as soon as possible. The government has already conveyed that it is always ready for dialogue," he said

"Regarding the irregularities in appointments conducted through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and other recruitment agencies, as well as the irregularities in the overall recruitment process, the state government, under the leadership of CM Hemant Soren, is committed to taking action with great sensitivity. This commitment is evident from the steps the government has already taken. Most importantly, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, have also taken this issue very seriously,"he added.

Students have been protesting in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, demanding cancellation of the examinations, an independent probe into the alleged irregularities and reforms in the state's recruitment process.

The state government has invited representatives of the agitating students for talks, while the protesters have maintained that they will continue their agitation until their demands are met.