Ranchi, July 29: Hundreds of students on Wednesday staged a protest march in Ranchi, demanding transparency and accountability in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), while the BJP intensified its attack on the state government by seeking a CBI probe into the alleged recruitment irregularities.
The protesters marched from Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Albert Ekka Chowk, alleging that recruitment examinations conducted by the two commissions were not being held in a fair and transparent manner. They raised concerns over the recently declared results of the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination and demanded corrective action, as reported by ANI.
Among the key issues flagged by the students were the non-publication of category-wise cut-off marks, alleged discrepancies in OMR sheets and irregularities in the recruitment process. They demanded cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination, a fresh examination under a transparent system and complete accountability from the commission.
“Our only demand is that the Public Service Commission examination be conducted fairly and with transparency,” student protester Khushi Kumari said.
Another protester alleged irregularities in the recruitment process, claiming that “the JPSC’s entire recruitment process has been marred by malpractice.”
Falguni, a JPSC aspirant from Dhanbad, alleged that several discrepancies were noticed during the examination process.
“I came from Dhanbad. I appeared for the JPSC examination. We found several discrepancies in the process. The cut-off marks for the 14th JPSC were not released, and numerous errors were identified in the OMR sheets,” she said.
She demanded cancellation of the examination and conduct of a fresh test under what she described as a fair and transparent process.
The controversy erupted after JPSC declared the results of the 14th Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination earlier this month, shortlisting 2,204 candidates for the Main examination against 103 advertised vacancies. Candidates subsequently questioned the absence of category-wise cut-off marks and raised objections over the merit list.
The issue has also acquired political overtones, with Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo claiming that thousands of students had joined the protest and alleging large-scale irregularities in the preliminary examination. In a post on X, Shah Deo urged Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to respond to the issue and alleged that there had been widespread rigging in the examination process.
रांची की सड़कों पर झारखंड पब्लिक सर्विस कमीशन के सिविल सर्विस परीक्षा के PT परीक्षा में हुए धांधली के खिलाफ हजारों छात्र सड़कों पर उतरे हैं। राष्ट्रगान और राष्ट्रगीत एक साथ हो रहा है।
— Pratul Shah Deo🇮🇳 (@pratulshahdeo) July 29, 2026
इस भीड़ को देखिए श्री @RahulGandhi जी एवं श्रीमती @priyankagandhi जी।आप नजरअंदाज करेंगे तो यह… pic.twitter.com/evx1PgI3ie
The BJP also raised the matter in Parliament, where party MPs led by Jharkhand BJP president Aditya Sahu protested against the alleged JPSC, JSSC and Excise Constable recruitment scams and demanded a CBI investigation along with strict action against those found guilty.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID) has intensified its probe into the alleged examination irregularities. Around eight people have been arrested in connection with the case so far.
Five accused, including former JPSC Deputy Examination Controller Shweta Gupta, TDPL Director Ramveer Singh, Md Usman, Md Ebaad and Abhay Kumar Tiwari, have been taken into police remand for interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation.
The allegations of examination malpractice, rigging and sale of seats remain under investigation. No court has so far established the allegations, and the investigation by the CID is continuing.
