Thousands of job aspirants, protesting against irregularities in various recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, joined the march to the State assembly on Monday (August 10, 2026). Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for nine days in protest against exam irregularities, also joined the march, despite losing 10.5 kg. He was seen carrying a portrait of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren.
The Jharkhand government on Sunday (August 9, 2026) agreed to cancel the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and the JPSC backlog examinations held in 2023 and 2025 following six hours of discussions with protesting student groups. However, the students remained firm on their demand for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination and said the agitation would continue. The announcement came even as all three JPSC members resigned and Chief Minister Hemant Soren assured protesters that “justice will be delivered with full transparency”.
Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) and JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said they want cancellation of JSSC-CGL and all exams connected to the TSR Data Processing Private Limited Agency, a blacklisted entity.
Thousands of job aspirants, protesting exam irregularities, faced water cannons as they marched to the Jharkhand assembly on Monday (August 11, 2026), breaching barricades one after the other.
Job aspirants protest in Jharkhand, facing water cannons while demanding exam reforms and accountability for irregularities.
The protestors moving towards the Jharkhand Assembly building, bursts into reciting the national anthem and chants of Vande Matram.
- Suruchi Kumari
Protestors are continuing to move forward towards the Jharkhand Assembly building in Ranchi, even as police uses water cannons.
- Suruchi Kumari
A protestor sustains head injury during police lathicharge.- Suruchi Kumari
Protestors break third set of barricades despite police personnel pushing against barricades. Protestors refuse to step back even as police deploys mutiple rounds of water cannons. Police resort to lathicharge to disperse the protestors as they participate in the march to Assembly. - Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
Screenshot 2026-08-10 131654.png
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 1.00.27 PM.jpeg
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
One protestor mocked police water cannon deployment by using soap during the firing of water cannon.
Police fired water cannons at protesting students as they attempted to break through a second line of barricades on their way to the Jharkhand Assembly.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari.
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 1.29.48 PM (1).jpeg
Photo credit: Aniket Singh Chauhan
As student leader Devendra Nath Mahto joins ‘Vidhan Sabha gherao’ march, he said, “...Despite being on a hunger strike, I have come here. They won’t be able to stop us. I reached here in an ambulance and I am going ahead on a stretcher. I have been on a hunger strike for the past 9 days and the Govt will have to accept our demands.”- ANI
Protestors have started moving forward again towards the State assembly after breaking barricades. The march was stopped by police near Jagannath Mandir.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
Screenshot 2026-08-10 121842.png
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari.
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 11.50.40 AM.jpeg
JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for nine day, against exam irregularities, joined the march.
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
Jharkhand Police have deployed drones in the perimeter of Jagannath Mandir where thousands of protestors have been stopped right now. - Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 12.02.38 PM.jpeg
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
After waiting for 10 minutes, protestors have started jumping over the barricades. Ahead of the barricading, water cannon vehicles are parked. Volunteers are trying to control the crowd and asking them to maintain peace.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 11.47.36 AM.jpeg
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
After marching for half an hour, volunteers leading the protest have stopped by police near Jagannath Mandir, 3 km from the Vidhan Sabha complex. Volunteers are asking protestors to sit peacefully before proceeding further. Police personnel have so far cooperated with the march.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 11.42.28 AM (1).jpeg
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
Thousands of student protestors participate in ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march, as part of the protest against JPSC-JSSC irregularities.- ANI
Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for nine days in protest against exam irregularities, joined the march in an ambulance, despite losing 10.5 kg. He was seen carrying a portrait of former Chief Minister Shibu Soren.- PTI
A student participating in Vidhan Sabha gherao march, said, “We have been stopped here but we will head towards the Vidhan Sabha peacefully. Until our demands are met, we will not stop. We demand CBI investigation...”- ANI
The Enforcement Directorate has launched an investigation into alleged irregularities in the conduct of multiple recruitment examinations in Jharkhand particularly the JSSC-CGL examination, officials said on Monday (August 10, 2026).
They said the central agency has taken cognisance of a state police CID FIR and some other complaints to initiate a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Students have been agitating in the State for 16 days demanding a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, particularly the JSSC-CGL (Jharkhand General Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination).- PTI
Protestors are peacefully marching towards the State assembly with volunteers forming human chain ahead of them. Jharkhand Police’s water canon vehicle and riot control vehicle are present at the site.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 11.14.20 AM.jpeg
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
Police detain BJP leaders, including Aditya Sahu and Babulal Marandi, protesting outside CM Hemant Soren’s residence over exam irregularities.
BJP’s Jharkhand unit spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said he, several other leaders are under house arrest since 7 a.m.- PTI
WhatsApp Image 2026-08-10 at 10.55.31 AM.jpeg
Photo credit: Suruchi Kumari
JAP, SAT and Jharkhand police personnel deployed at 500 meters from the Vidhan Sabha.
Protestors started moving forward after stepping over barricades. - Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
Hundreds of people who started marching towards the new Vidhan Sabha complex, have been stopped at the Old Vidhan Sabha Chowk. Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) has been deployed.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
Student leader Ravindra Paswan said ahead of the march to assembly on Monday (August 10), “All of us are gathering at the Old Vidhan Sabha. We will begin our march from there in a very peaceful and constitutional manner. I would like to appeal to all the students to do this in a very peaceful and constitutional manner. I also appeal to the common public of Jharkhand to extend us their moral support. I also appeal to the CM to meet our demands, all our demands are genuine.”- ANI
The march to the State Assembly is yet to begin but people have started to gather outside the main gate of Old Vidhan Sabha.
Jharkhand police personnel are deployed along the Dhurva road leading to the old Vidhan Sabha from where the ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march is set to begin towards the the new Vidhan Sabha.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) is in effect within a 750-metre radius of the State Assembly as per the Monsoon Session schedule from August 6 to August 12. It bars the assembly of five or more persons, processions, rallies, demonstrations and public meetings in the notified area.- Aniket Singh Chauhan, Suruchi Kumari
For many, JPSC and JSSC represent perhaps the clearest route to secure employment in a State where the private sector offers limited opportunities, particularly for young people from rural and Adivasi communities.
The choice, as several aspirants describe it, is stark: continue tilling the land that often provides enough to sustain a family but little surplus or spend years studying for a competitive examination that can potentially change the family’s economic circumstances.
Student protestor Devendra Nath Mahato, who is on hunger strike, said ahead of the march, “Today is a day of revolution and change for us. For those who have been on hunger strike for the past few days, today is a decisive day in this struggle.”- PTI
Student protestor Savita Kumari said, “We had planned not to march towards the Assembly if the government fulfills our demands. But the government has not fulfilled even five per cent of our demands. So, all our brothers and sisters are marching towards the Assembly today to gherao it... We are protesting here and are on hunger strike.”- PTI
The Jharkhand government on Sunday (August 9, 2026) agreed to cancel the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and the JPSC backlog examinations held in 2023 and 2025 following six hours of discussions with protesting student groups.
However, the students remained firm on their demand for a CBI probe into the irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination and said the agitation would continue. The announcement came even as all three JPSC members resigned and Chief Minister Hemant Soren assured protestors that “justice will be delivered with full transparency”.
Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) and JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said they want cancellation of JSSC-CGL and all exams connected to the TSR Data Processing Private Limited Agency, a blacklisted entity.
The Jharkhand Police has imposed prohibitory orders around the assembly premises and made elaborate security arrangements across the city in view of ‘Vidhan Sabha March’ called by students who have been protesting for more than two weeks against alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in the State.
“In view of the possibility of unrest during the students’ proposed march to the State assembly, the police administration has been put on alert,” ADG (Headquarters) Manoj Kaushik said.
He urged the students, who will participate in the march to protest in a “peaceful and disciplined” manner as they have shown their discipline in the ongoing protest here for over two weeks, he said.
Protestors alleged that hundreds of students coming to the state capital from different parts of Jharkhand were being stopped by the police forcefully.- PTI
Student leader Ravindra Paswan said ahead of the march to Assembly, “A march to the Vidhan Sabha and a gherao will be conducted in a peaceful and constitutional manner. Students will start gathering there at 9:00 a.m.. The march will commence between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m., entirely peacefully and constitutionally. I urge all students and the general public to maintain peace and adhere to constitutional norms. Since we students are leading this movement, we must demonstrate that we are disciplined and educated. Students from every district of Jharkhand are arriving for today’s protest; there will be a massive turnout.”- ANI
Protesting students leave from Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium for the old Jharkhand Legislative Assembly building, ahead of their call for Vidhan Sabha march to the new Assembly on Monday (August 10, 2026).- ANI
Student protesters are set to hold a ‘Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ march in Ranchi today (Monday) over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) examinations, with security arrangements tightened across the city.
The Jharkhand Police and administration have made elaborate security arrangements ahead of the march, with razor fencing installed along the route near Jagannath Temple. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has also been imposed within a 750-metre radius of the state Assembly.- ANI
Published - August 10, 2026 09:31 am IST
Jharkhand / students / Live news
Source: The Hindu - India News
