Jharkhand Students Demand CBI Probe After Exam Paper Leaks

Student protesters led by the JPSC JSSC Reform Manch have staged a prolonged sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi to demand the cancellation of several civil service examinations conducted after 2019. The demonstrators cite widespread paper leaks and irregularities in the JSSC CGL, JSSC JE, and PGT exams, as well as the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission Combined Preliminary Test. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto entered a six-day hunger strike during the protests, criticizing the state government's attitude as insensitive.

Jharkhand Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey confirmed the arrest of 19 individuals in connection with the irregularities, describing the situation as quite shameful. In response to the unrest, the coalition government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren formed a four-member ministerial committee to negotiate with a student delegation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also spoke with student representatives, promising to take up their demands with the state administration.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has intensified the political conflict by disrupting the Jharkhand Assembly and staging protests on the premises. BJP chief whip Naveen Jaiswal dismissed the current CID investigation as an eyewash, arguing that the youth lack faith in the probe and will only receive justice through a CBI investigation. The protesters continue to call for a CBI or Enforcement Directorate inquiry, the disclosure of category-wise cut-offs, and a recruitment calendar based on UPSC and SSC standards.