Jharkhand protest: 5 students begin hunger strike, CM Hemant Soren's wife and MLA Kalpana breaks silence
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Jharkhand protest: 5 students begin hunger strike, CM Hemant Soren's wife and MLA Kalpana breaks silence")
Students protesting in Jharkhand Photograph: (X)
Jharkhand’s student protest intensified as five more students joined Devendra Nath Mahto’s hunger strike over alleged JPSC and JSSC exam irregularities. Students are demanding a CBI probe, while Kalpana Soren said CM Hemant Soren is sensitive to the issue.
The student protest in Jharkhand has intensified as five students joined the hunger strike started by student activist Devendra Nath Mahto. The protest has entered eleventh day with students demanding CBI investigation over irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Combined Civil Services and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC CGL) examination at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi. On Aug 4, on the death anniversary of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren, popularly known as the Dishom Guru, the students are scheduled to carry out a march against the ‘rotten system’ led by his son.
A protester told ANI, “Today is the death anniversary of Dishom Guru. Following in the footsteps of our source of inspiration, we are here today... Today, we have some creative programs. We are going to hold a tribute march for Dishom Guru... Starting today, five of our comrades are on a hunger strike... The CM should take strong decision and we all stand with him... Our fight isn't with the Chief Minister. Our fight isn't with any party. Our fight is with the rotten system that has taken over the system... We also assure that our platform will not become a platform for any political party...”
Hemant Soren's wife and MLA Kalpana Soren breaks silence
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (Aug 4), Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife and MLA Kalpana Soren said that the CM is “very sensitive to the issue.” The remark comes despite Soren not issuing any remark on the protest that has been continuing since ten days now. Kalpana began her statement referring to the death anniversary of Shibu Soren. "This is an emotional moment for every family in Jharkhand. I urge you to pay tribute to him..." When asked on Jharkhand students protesting over JPSC, she said, “Hemant Soren is very sensitive to the issue, and the Jharkhand government is working to find a solution for the issue...”
Why are students protesting in Jharkhand
Thousands of students have taken to streets since Jul 25 and are protesting against alleged irregularities in various government examination, specifically the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations. The protest has expanded into a statewide campaign demanding accountability, transparent recruitment and education reforms with Ranchi being the epicentre. It was triggered after reports of OMR sheet tampering and paper leaks in the JPSC civil services examination. Student alleged that the exam-conducting agency, TDPL, which had previously been blacklisted by other government bodies like the SSC, was hired to manage the process.
Students in Jharkhand are angry over several other exam related irregularities in the state. They demand answers for 2024 Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) CGL exam paper leak, and subsequent reschedule after High Court's intervention. The students reject CID probe over the matter. Earlier this year, : 159 candidates and 5 racket leaders were arrested after they were caught paying up to ₹15 lakh each to memorize leaked question paper sets in Jharkhand Excise Constable Competitive Examination (JECCE). Moreover, JAC Class 10 Board Exams (2025) Science and Hindi question papers also went viral on social media before/during exams in districts like Koderma and Giridih, forcing cancellations and re-examinations.
