Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Don't Treat Ranchi Students as Political Pawns Amid JPSC Protests
Many students in a city called Ranchi, in the Indian state of Jharkhand, are upset about a big test for government jobs called the JPSC exam.
They say the test was not fair because some people who answered very few questions still got very high scores.
The students want a proper investigation and want the unfair tests to be cancelled and taken again.
The leader of the state government, Hemant Soren, has asked the state police to look into the problem.
Some people believe that is not enough and want the CBI, an independent agency, to investigate.
When the students protested, police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the crowds.
Many people are now asking whether the police were too rough.
Politicians are also arguing about the protests, and some accuse others of using students for their own political gain.
Everyone agrees that tests for government jobs should be fair so that young people can trust them.
Students in Ranchi are protesting alleged irregularities in the conduct of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and other recruitment tests.
Social media posts allege that candidates who attempted very few questions nonetheless secured remarkably high positions in the results.
The Hemant Soren government has ordered a state police investigation, while critics demand an independent Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry.
Police used tear gas, water cannons, and lathis against protesters in Ranchi, raising questions about whether the force was excessive.
The Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the police action and called for state-wide shutdowns, but critics point to its different posture during the student protests over NEET in Delhi.
- Who
- Students in Ranchi; the Hemant Soren government; the Bharatiya Janata Party and its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP); and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which protesters want to probe the matter.
- What
- Protests over alleged irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and other recruitment tests, including demands for a CBI inquiry and cancellation of compromised examinations.
- When
- Not specified in the articles.
- Where
- Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.
- Why
- Because of allegations that recruitment tests can be manipulated through corruption, nepotism or favouritism, which critics say undermines merit and young people's faith in fairness.
Supporters of the Student Protesters
Government and Critics of Partisan Posturing
Investigation of the exam irregularities
Supporters of the Student Protesters
A state police investigation is not enough; an independent CBI inquiry would have greater credibility because the irregularities suggest connivance within the system.
Government and Critics of Partisan Posturing
The Hemant Soren government has ordered a state police investigation, treating that as the appropriate response to the allegations.
Police use of force against protesters
Supporters of the Student Protesters
The use of tear gas, water cannons and lathis against students in Ranchi deserves scrutiny and may have been excessive.
Government and Critics of Partisan Posturing
Whether the force was excessive is a matter for impartial assessment, so the police action should not be presumed disproportionate.
Political exploitation of student protests
Supporters of the Student Protesters
The BJP and its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), condemned the police action and called for state-wide shutdowns, defending the students.
Government and Critics of Partisan Posturing
Critics note that the BJP and ABVP adopted a different posture during the student protests over NEET in Delhi, making their defence of students mere political convenience.
- Protest location
- Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
- Examinations in question
- 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and other recruitment tests
- Core allegation
- Candidates who attempted very few questions reportedly secured remarkably high positions
- Government response
- State police investigation ordered by the Hemant Soren government
- Protesters' demands
- CBI inquiry; cancellation and reconduction of compromised JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission examinations
- Police action
- Tear gas, water cannons and lathis used against protesters
- Political response
- BJP condemned police action and called for state-wide shutdowns
- Related event
- Student protests in Delhi over the NEET question-paper leak