New Delhi: After the protests in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, students are now standing up against the paper leak and irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC exams in Ranchi.
Individuals from Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other states are sending them food and money to reach the protest site. Social media users are also regularly updating about food, bedsheets and pillow deliveries so that the protesters can sleep onsite. The support has drawn comparisons with the community-driven assistance seen during the Jantar Mantar protest in July.
“Bedsheets, towels and food supplies are reaching the protest site. Hundreds of students are arriving. Please keep sending supplies. Jai Johar,” wrote one X user.
“This is what real support looks like. Since this morning, more than 100 people have reached out to me, offering to help in whatever way they can. A huge shoutout to @khurpenchh Bhai for standing with the students and supporting this protest,” read a comment under the post.
However, since the protesters do not have permission from the police to erect tents onsite, several students are forced to stay awake throughout the night. Visuals and reports from the protest show several students standing in the rain at night.
“The Ranchi administration is not allowing us to erect the tent here. Not letting us put down the tent from the truck. The students are drenched in rain. No single officer is helping us. They are shifting the responsibility on each other. We are requesting Ranchi police to let us erect the tent,” said one protester on X.
Students have been protesting at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium since 29 July, demanding action over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations. Organisers say the number swells to thousands every evening as more students arrive from all 24 districts of Jharkhand.
The agitation comes weeks after the alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examinations (JPSC CSE) snowballed into a major controversy. The CID has arrested multiple people in connection with the case, including officials allegedly linked to the examination process, while former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte resigned amid mounting pressure.
The protesters are demanding cancellation of examinations, particularly those conducted through TDPL. They are also demanding a CBI or ED probe into alleged paper leaks, structural reforms in both JPSC and JSSC, and a transparent recruitment process free from political interference.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)