Jharkhand: Exam protest escalates as student begins hunger strike

In Jharkhand, student leader Devendra Nath Mahato sat on an indefinite hunger strike in protest against irregularities in competitive exams.Mahto began his fast on Sunday night at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where students have been staging demonstrations over alleged discrepancies in several recruitment examinations. He said the decision was taken after weeks of protests failed to elicit a concrete response from the authorities. Mahto is demanding a CBI and ED investigation into the alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC examination, the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination and other recruitment tests. He has also sought cancellation of the 14th JPSC preliminary examination until a transparent inquiry is completed.

#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato sat on an indefinite hunger strike at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in protest against irregularities in competitive exams.

He said, "The results of the 14th Preliminary Test (PT) were declared on the 2nd of last… pic.twitter.com/uOfljeOeZH

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2026

The agitation began after the results of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination were declared on July 5, with aspirants alleging irregularities in the recruitment process. Students have since organised day-and-night protests and an indefinite sit-in demanding transparency and accountability.
The ongoing agitation has now received support from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said he held a video conference with Mahto and other student leaders on Sunday night and assured them of the party's support.The demonstrations in Ranchi continue, with students maintaining that the agitation will persist until an impartial investigation is ordered and accountability is fixed for the alleged examination irregularities.