BJP MPs protest in Parliament over Jharkhand paper leak as student agitation swell in state: What exactly happened?

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs from Jharkhand on Friday (Aug 1) staged a protest in the Parliament premises as they demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in the state. The BJP MPs accused the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government of wrongdoing and slammed the Congress party for showing ‘double standards’ over examination-related issues. Earlier on Thursday, the MPs protested at the Makar Dwar over the same issue and asked Congress to break its alliance with JMM in Jharkhand. The MPs asked reporters to put limelight on the student protest in Jharkhand over irregularities in the the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations.

Speaking to reporters, Koderma MP and Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi alleged that Congress and their INDIA bloc allies speak selectively on examination-related issues. She said, “They speak about the concerns of students in Delhi, but is Jharkhand not a part of the country? They do not speak about the youth of Jharkhand or their future because their government is in power there.” Rajya Sabha MP and Jharkhand BJP chief Aditya Sahu alleged repeated irregularities over the past several years. "Why does the Congress remain silent on these issues in Jharkhand,” he questioned."

Questioning the state government’s handling of the matter, BJP MP Sanjay Seth said that the state government ordered a CID probe to create an eyewash. “But a CID inquiry, in my view, simply means putting the matter into cold storage. A CBI probe is necessary to establish the truth,” he asserted, urging Rahul Gandhi to visit Ranchi and meet the thousands of young people sitting on protest

What's happening in Jharkhand?

“Jharkhand Sarkar Hosh Me Aao [Jharkhand government, come to your senses]”: Thousands of students in Jharkhand have taken to street and sare chanting the aforementioned slogans as they continue to protest against alleged irregularities in the JPSC examination. The protest began in Ranchi on July 25, has expanded into a statewide campaign demanding accountability, transparent recruitment and education reforms. It was triggered after reports of OMR sheet tampering and paper leaks in the JPSC civil services examination. Investigations revealed that the exam-conducting agency, TDPL, which had previously been blacklisted by other government bodies like the SSC, was hired to manage the process.

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Has the Jharkhand government reacted?

The Jharkhand government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the State Crime Investigation Department (CID) to probe the JPSC leak. Eleven people have been arrested, while the JPSC chairman has resigned. Students continue to protest despite the government's assurance of action, turning the issue into one of Jharkhand's biggest youth-led movements in recent years. The state government has indefinitely postponed 9 major recruitment examinations to clean up the process.

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This comes after a massive protest in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar started by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and participated by students from across the country forced BJP government at the Centre to seek the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest began due to NEET paper leak in May this year and at least 21 death by suicide thereafter.