HomeglobalJharkhand students protest LIVE updates: Sixth round of talks between State govt. and students begins

Jharkhand students protest LIVE updates: Sixth round of talks between State govt. and students begins

globalAugust 9, 2026
7 min read
Jharkhand students protest LIVE updates: Sixth round of talks between State govt. and students begins
Student leader Ravindra Paswan accused the State government of attempting to fragment the movement and warned of a massive 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march on August 10 if demands were not met
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A fresh round of talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting the irregularities in recruitment exams began on Sunday (August 9, 2026).

Also read | Jharkhand protest: CID summons three serving members of JPSC in exam row

“We are hopeful of a positive outcome over our demand of cancelling the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination and reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC),” a student leader said.

Also read | Years of delayed exams, bribery allegations provoke Jharkhand protests

The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch accused the Jharkhand government of “political manoeuvring” by announcing another round of talks with student organisations, alleging the move was aimed at creating divisions among protesting students and diverting people’s attention from their core demands.

Also read | Jharkhand student protest highlights August 8, 2026

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From mock job “rate cards” and satirical posters to verses from the Mahabharata, Jharkhand’s protesting students are wielding creativity to voice their anger over recruitment exam irregularities.- PTI

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Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, Jharkhand BJP chief and MP Aditya Sahu and the party’s chief whip Naveen Jailswal also visited the protesting students at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium on Sunday (August 9, 2026) morning.

“The Chief Minister should have met the students on the very first day of the protest. But he has been silent. The government has adopted the Britishers’ ‘divide and rule’ policy by inviting different organisations for talks, seeking their charter of demands.

“There is no need for dialogue anymore. The students’ demands are simple: cancelling the examination and probing the irregularities by the CBI,” Mr. Seth said. — PTI

The condition of student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on indefinite hunger strike for around a week now at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Stadium, suddenly deteriorated around 3 a.m. on Saturday (August 8) night. Doctors recorded his blood glucose level at 53.

Jharkhand government plans fresh talks amid ongoing student protests over recruitment exam irregularities and a deteriorating student leader's health.

The students are also demanding the revocation of the suspension of a Finance Department section officer and whistleblower, Santosh Kumar Mastana, and withdrawal of cases filed against him.

Jharkhand CID had arrested Mr. Mastana in October 2025 for allegedly spreading a “fake narrative” about a paper leak in the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination held in September 2024.

He was granted regular bail by the Jharkhand High Court this year.- PTI

The JPSC-JSSC protestors are demanding an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) followed by action against those responsible for irregularities in competitive exams for government jobs in the State, including in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Combined Civil Services Examination, and the Jharkhand General Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination, which is also known as Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam. 

Key demands of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, a prominent students’ body spearheading the protest, include making the probe report public and action against the guilty.

The protesters have also called for the cancellation of the Preliminary Test of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination, and a review of exams conducted through agencies, including TSR Data Processing Private Limited.- THB

A fresh round of talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting the irregularities in recruitment exams began on Sunday (August 9).

The sixth round of talks is being held at the state guest house in Ranchi as the protest entered its 16th day with six demonstrators on indefinite hunger strike.

“We are hopeful of a positive outcome over our demand of cancelling the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination and reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC),” a student leader said.- PTI

Dumri MLA and Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha supremo Jairam Mahto sat on a day-long hunger strike on the old Vidhan Sabha premises, extending support to agitating students.

Activist Rajesh Hindustani, popularly known as ‘Tiranga Man’, also joined the students’ protest at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Stadium. - PTI

On July 23, students began gathering at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi. They arrived carrying bedding, notebooks and plastic folders filled with admit cards from examinations that, in many cases, had defined nearly a decade of their lives. Their demand was straightforward: cancel all examinations tainted by allegations of corruption, order an independent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and overhaul the state’s recruitment system.

JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad on Sunday (August 9) said the ongoing protest by JPSC-JSSC aspirants in Ranchi has transformed into a mass movement, alleging growing resentment among students and young people over the conduct of competitive examinations and recruitment in Jharkhand.- ANI

As the intense protests by JPSC-JSSC aspirants continue at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, a doctors team inspected the health of protestors on Sunday (August 9).

Speaking to ANI, Dr. AP Sinha assured that the fasting students have declined hospitalisation despite experiencing a drop in body weight. However, they remain alert, stable, and fine for now.- ANI

A team of doctors from the Sadar Hospital, Ranchi, inspected the health of JPSC-JSSC aspirants staging a hunger strike at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.- ANI

Amid ongoing protests over irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations, student leader Ravindra Paswan accused the State government of attempting to fragment the movement and warned of a massive ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march on August 10 if demands were not met.

“What we have witnessed from the government’s side today has left us very upset. Look at the game the government is playing: today, they accepted memoranda from about 6-7 other organisations. Why are they doing this? What is their intention?” he said.

Questioning the State government’s decision to receive a memorandum from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’ student wing, Mr. Paswan added, “Why are they taking memoranda from NSUI? NSUI is the Congress student wing. What kind of demands would they make? Why are they not on the street protesting against the government?”

“The government is playing games, trying to fragment this movement into 2-3 different factions,” he alleged.- ANI

On talks with govt. student protestor Prem Nayak said, “We were called today at 12 noon by the government. But the government wants to give us toffees and biscuits to coax us like children... We demand that the Chief Minister talk to us directly and take strict action. What issue does he have with that?... Let’s see what happens today after the team goes for the meet.”- ANI

The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, a prominent students’ group spearheading the protest in Jharkhand against alleged exam irregularities, accused the state government of “political manoeuvring” by announcing it would hold another round of talks with the demonstrators.

The group alleged that despite placing all points before the government during a meeting on Friday night, the panel chose to call Congress and JMM-affiliated students’ bodies who had no role in the agitation and took their charter of demands on Saturday.

“This is political manoeuvring by the government. It is trying to create a divide among students and divert people’s attention. But, they should know all students are united,” said Ravindra Paswan, a leader of JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch.

- PTI

As rain continued to fall over Ranchi on Saturday (August 8, 2026), the students’ protest at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium entered its 15th day with no sign of retreat. A seven-member delegation of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) met the government committee, carrying with it the demands that have kept hundreds of aspirants on the streets since July 25, with no immediate breakthrough in sight.

Jharkhand protests enter 15th day as government invites JLKM leaders for talks amid demands for exam irregularity investigations.

Published - August 09, 2026 08:14 am IST

Live news / Jharkhand / demonstration

Source: The Hindu - India News

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