New Delhi: The biggest hurdle for 29-year-old Priyanka Kumari to secure a government job is the system that conducts the examination. Hailing from Jharkhand, she appeared for 12 recruitment exams, of which eight were in the state. And all of the state exams have been mired in controversies.
Now, thousands of aspirants like her gathered in Ranchi to protest against the exam system. She says nearly every examination has been followed by allegations of paper leaks, OMR manipulation, seat-selling or court cases. Five years into her preparation, she is still waiting for a fair chance.
“It’s not the exam that has failed us, it is the system. People do the setting. They reach centres in neighbouring states such as Bihar, West Bengal and even Nepal before the examination,” Priyanka claimed, adding that there are allegations of OMR tampering, seat-selling and answer leaks.
“A genuine student has no chance. What you are seeing on the streets of Ranchi today is the anger that has been building for years,” she said.
Hundreds of students have been present at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since 29 July, demanding action over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations. The number reaches thousands in the evening. The protest, entirely led by students, has grown each day, with participants arriving from all 24 districts of Jharkhand.
Kumari isn’t able to join the protest at the site, but she is organising things online. She is sending food to the protest site and writing about it on social media.
“I am not able to go there because of my leg fracture. But I am raising my voice against the system digitally,” she says.
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 role of Lucknow-based TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL), the private agency associated with conducting the examination, is also under scrutiny. The company had earlier faced blacklisting over examination-related issues, according to investigators.
‘We have nothing left’
Among those camping at the protest site is 24-year-old Durgesh Kumar from Chatra district, who now lives in Hazaribagh while preparing for multiple recruitment examinations, including JSSC CGL, Jharkhand Police Constable and Sub-Inspector recruitment. He spends most of his days in the library, but the “corruption in the system” has left him helpless. He has been preparing for government jobs for the last five years.
“We study for 16 hours every day. Yet we don’t get selected. Those with money allegedly buy seats and move ahead while we are left helpless. We have repeated these allegations so many times that now I feel like crying,” he said.
Kumar has been sleeping in tents at the protest site since July 29. Initially, there were no arrangements for sleeping or even for eating.
“For two days I survived only on biscuits. People from Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have been sending food. Some NGOs are also helping. Students continue to arrive every day.”
Throughout the day, students organise candle marches, mashaal juloos, signature campaigns and tie black bands around their arms as a mark of protest.
“If our demands are not met, we will march to the Assembly when the Monsoon Session begins on 6 August. This movement is being led entirely by students. We have a five-member student committee. There is no space for political parties here,” he said.
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‘Conduct fair examinations’
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.
“Our demand is simple. Conduct fair examinations. Any exam where irregularities have taken place should be cancelled. There should be an independent investigation and structural reforms in JPSC and JSSC so that students do not have to return to the streets every few years,” Priyanka said.
The present agitation taps into years of frustration among government job aspirants.
Since Jharkhand came into existence in 2000, the JPSC has conducted only 13 civil services examinations. Almost every recruitment exam has faced legal challenges or allegations of irregularities by the students. There have been many protests in the past too, but this one seems bigger as the students from all over Jharkhand have gathered in Ranchi and are staying at the protest site.
“I will not leave the site till the government accepts our demand. Jharkhand’s situation is the worst among all the states. No one is listening to us,” said Kumar.
Similar allegations have also repeatedly surfaced against the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), making transparency in examinations one of the state’s most contentious public issues.
“Jharkhand has supplied coal that lights up the entire country. But the future of Jharkhand’s own students remains in darkness,” Durgesh added.
ThePrint sent detailed queries to both JPSC and JSSC, including on the demand for an independent CBI probe, but had not received a response from either body till the time of publication.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)