Ranchi, August 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Jharkhand witnessed fresh protests on Wednesday over the state government’s decision to cancel several recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), with selected candidates and affected employees entering the Secretariat campus in Ranchi.
Hundreds of candidates who had cleared recruitment examinations and employees whose appointments have been affected by the decision gathered outside the main gate of Project Bhawan, which houses the Jharkhand Secretariat, from Monday evening. They demanded that the government reconsider and withdraw the cancellations and related decisions.
Tensions escalated when a section of the protesters breached the security cordon, crossed barricades and entered the Project Bhawan premises. The demonstrators raised slogans, including “Insaaf do ya phansi”, while demanding justice.
Despite heavy rain, candidates and affected employees continued their protest through the night. They said the government’s decision had put their jobs, careers and financial security at risk.
The protesters maintained that if irregularities occurred in particular recruitment examinations, those cases should be investigated and the people responsible punished instead of cancelling entire recruitment processes and appointments of candidates who had cleared the selection procedure fairly.
Several successful JSSC-CGL candidates said they had spent years preparing for the examination before securing appointments. Some claimed they had resigned from other jobs after being selected for government positions in Jharkhand.
“Until yesterday, we were employees in the Secretariat; today, we are standing on the street. What is our fault? If someone committed wrongdoing, action should be taken against them, but why are our jobs being taken away?” one protester said.
The candidates have sought a multi-level inquiry into the disputed appointments and demanded that individual cases be examined before any action is taken against selected candidates.
Another protester said terminating the appointment of a candidate whose recruitment otherwise complied with the rules would be unfair merely because the examination itself was under scrutiny.
Affected assistants also said they had gone through written examinations and interviews after years of preparation before receiving appointment letters. They expressed concern over the financial hardship caused by the uncertainty surrounding their jobs and said they were worried about supporting their families.
The latest protest follows a prolonged student agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. Based on findings from a CID inquiry, the state government has cancelled 22 examinations, suspended the process for six others and ordered investigations into irregularities linked to 17 examinations.
The government has also decided to investigate and review appointments made since 2014.
While students who had been protesting against alleged examination irregularities have welcomed the government’s action, candidates selected through the affected examinations and employees facing the loss of their appointments have opposed the decision.
They have maintained that those found responsible for examination irregularities should face action, but candidates who secured appointments through legitimate means should not be penalised.
Security has been strengthened around Project Bhawan, with a substantial police deployment in place and authorities closely monitoring the situation.
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