Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren urging him to personally meet students protesting alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment examinations. In his letter dated August 14, Gandhi described the ongoing agitation as peaceful and said the students’ demands were legitimate. He stressed that the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental pillar of India’s democracy and said the concerns of young job aspirants deserve immediate attention. The protests, which entered their 24th day on Monday, continue in Ranchi with several students reportedly remaining on an indefinite hunger strike.
The agitation is being led by thousands of candidates demanding a transparent investigation into alleged irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Civil Services Examination, the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination and other recruitment tests. Protesters have accused officials of large-scale corruption, claiming that examination seats were sold for amounts ranging from ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore. They are demanding the cancellation of the JPSC examination and an independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a panel of retired High Court judges from outside Jharkhand. The students argue that repeated allegations of paper leaks and recruitment scams have severely damaged public trust and unfairly affected deserving candidates.
While Rahul Gandhi welcomed the Jharkhand government’s decision to initiate dialogue with the protesters, he said direct intervention by Chief Minister Hemant Soren would demonstrate the government’s commitment to resolving the crisis. However, the protesters have expressed disappointment, stating that Gandhi’s earlier support has not resulted in concrete action. They have demanded that the Congress withdraw support from the ruling coalition if their concerns remain unaddressed and have also called for Hemant Soren’s resignation. The protesters have announced plans to stage a demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20, keeping pressure on the government as the recruitment controversy continues to escalate.
