Jharkhand protesters accuse CM, Rahul Gandhi of betrayal after High Court's move

Protesters in Jharkhand have accused the Hemant Soren government of betrayal over its court handling of cancelled recruitment exams. The renewed agitation, fuelled by a High Court halt and political sparring, has turned the issue into a wider public flashpoint.

In Short

• Jharkhand government cancelled 22 exams and ordered probes into 23 others
• Court paused many cancellation notifications after successful candidates filed petitions
• JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch members marched in Ranchi and clashed with police

Resentment was simmering among exam protesters in Jharkhand on Saturday, with agitators accusing the Hemant Soren government of betraying them by failing to strongly defend in the High Court its decision to cancel several recruitment exams. The issue has reopened tensions after the government’s move had earlier helped end a 26-day protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment tests.

The row also triggered a political exchange, with the BJP backing the protesters and accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of showing a “duplicitous attitude” towards students’ welfare. The ruling JMM hit back, alleging that the BJP was using students to further its political interests.

The JMM-led government had cancelled 22 job exams and ordered a probe into 23 others, a step that had quelled the earlier agitation against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment exams. But the move also led to another round of protests by successful candidates, many of whom approached the High Court fearing they would lose their jobs. Hearing their pleas, the Jharkhand High Court stayed several government notifications cancelling recruitment exams.

The court’s intervention angered many of the exam protesters. Members of the ‘JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch’, which has been leading the agitation, took out a protest march on Friday to the Jharkhand Public Service Commission office in Ranchi and scuffled with police. Similar protests were also held in Hazaribag and Giridih.

The protesters also gathered at Albert Chowk to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Rahul Gandhi. They said they were protesting against job exam “anomalies” and the “betrayal by the state government by not strongly defending its decision in the high court”.

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi accused the government of using force against students, while former chief minister Champai Soren described the alleged crackdown in Ranchi, Hazaribag and Giridih as unfortunate and said it violated the students’ democratic rights. Marandi said, “The JMM-Congress was not satisfied even after selling off the jobs of Jharkhand’s poor, Dalit, and tribal students. To weaken their struggle, they tried to sow discord, applied pressure, and put on a show of cancelling the exams.” He also said, “Rahul Gandhi ji, your duplicitous attitude will be exposed before the students of the country. These students are not heirs to a legacy like you and Hemant Soren. They will secure their rights.”

The JMM, however, alleged that the BJP was trying to exploit the recruitment exam-related issues. JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey said the BJP was “all out to destroy the social fabric of Jharkhand” and was using students to further its political interests.

The ‘JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch’ also questioned how the government handled the court proceedings, alleging that senior law officers were not present to effectively contest the petitions. JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto announced a ‘Recruitment System Reforms Yatra’ from August 24 and warned of a possible gherao of the chief minister’s residence if the government did not effectively defend its position before the High Court on September 15.

Meanwhile, widening its probe into the alleged exam irregularities, the CID on Friday urged the public to share any information related to the “anomalies”. Its Special Investigation Team has so far questioned 37 suspects in connection with the alleged irregularities in the 2023 JSSC Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination. As the legal battle and the inquiry continue, the recruitment exam controversy has again turned into a political and public flashpoint in Jharkhand.

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