Youth protests over rigged exams spread across India as job seekers demand accountability

In the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, hundreds of young people have set up camp at a stadium in the capital city of Ranchi, sleeping in the open and refusing to leave. Some are on hunger strike. They arrived on July 25th, and they are still there, demanding that the government scrap a civil service examination held in April and investigate what they believe was systematic fraud.

The anger began when results came back in July. Candidates noticed something wrong: leaked answer sheets circulating on social media showed that some people who had passed the exam had left many questions blank. How could they have scored high enough to advance if they hadn't answered most of the test? The only explanation, protesters say, is that someone filled in the answers after the fact. The Jharkhand Public Service Commission's chairman, L Khiangte, resigned on July 22nd and has been questioned by investigators. The commission has postponed the next stage of the examination process. Investigators are now looking at how a private company was selected to conduct parts of the test.

Umme Habiba is 27 years old. She comes from a farming family in Bokaro and has spent years preparing for this exam, sitting it three times already. She stayed up past midnight waiting for the July results, hoping this would finally be the time. "We want justice," she said. "We will not leave until we get it, even if it costs us our lives." Savita Kumari, now 28, has been waiting since 2019. She took the state civil service exam twice. When the results came out around midnight this July, her name was not there. "We cried the whole night," she said. She believes her answers were correct and that the exam was rigged.

What makes this fight so urgent is what a government job means in India. It offers a steady paycheck, social respect, and a pathway into the middle class. Young people compete fiercely for these positions, often spending years in preparation. In Jharkhand, the wait has become unbearable. As friends find work, get married, and move forward with their lives, many of these candidates remain dependent on their parents. Vikram Kumar has been waiting since 2019 for the state to hire assistant engineers. The position has been advertised only three times since Jharkhand became a state in 2000, even though hundreds of posts sit empty. "All we get is assurances," he said.

The Jharkhand protests are not happening in isolation. Weeks earlier, thousands of young Indians took to the streets in Delhi in what became known as the "cockroach" protests, also over exam paper leaks and recruitment failures. That independent youth movement, called the Cockroach Janta Party, has now announced its support for what is happening in Ranchi. The encampment has taken on a similar rhythm: during the day, hunger strikers rest under tarps with portraits of BR Ambedkar and freedom fighters behind them. By evening, crowds arrive, speeches begin, and the stadium fills with chants. Even heavy monsoon rain has not emptied the camp.

But there is a crucial difference. The Delhi protests emerged outside the formal political system. In Ranchi, the movement has drawn backing from major political parties. The BJP, which is in opposition in Jharkhand, has staged its own demonstrations and demanded a federal investigation. The Congress party, which is part of the state government, has also expressed support. One of the protest's most visible leaders is Devendra Nath Mahto, a former state election candidate who is also on hunger strike. Yet many protesters are wary of being absorbed by any party. "Students will lead this movement," said Vikram Kumar. "They will be on the stage and in front. Politicians are welcome to support them, but they should leave their party's flag and agenda at home."

A government minister, Deepika Pandey Singh, told the BBC that the state had begun investigating the allegations before the current protest even started. She urged protesters to allow the state's Criminal Investigation Department to complete its work rather than demanding that the case go to India's federal investigative agency, the CBI. She promised that anyone found responsible—whether a bureaucrat, employee, middleman, or politician—would face action. The government has offered to meet with the protesters and discuss canceling the April exam. A delegation of eleven protesters has been formed, though the two sides had not yet met formally by the end of the week.

Umme Habiba remains skeptical. She and others have heard promises before. What they want now is an investigation they can trust and examinations they believe are fair. For now, they are waiting—in the stadium, in the heat and rain, uncertain whether this time will be different.