BJP Leaders Detained During Jharkhand Exam Protest

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were detained by police on Monday, August 10, 2026, during a protest outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence in Ranchi. The demonstration was held against alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations, coinciding with a large student march toward the Jharkhand Assembly.

The detentions occurred as thousands of job aspirants, part of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Morcha, began their "Vidhan Sabha Gherao" march from the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. Police used water cannons to control the crowd, with some protesters seen crossing barricades. Authorities had imposed prohibitory orders within a 750-meter radius of the Assembly and deployed over 1,500 security personnel, including Rapid Action Police and drone surveillance. Most schools in Ranchi were closed for the day.

The BJP protest was led by Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi and state party president Aditya Prakash Sahu. Police detained approximately 50 party functionaries, including 21 MLAs. Marandi, speaking to reporters during the protest, stated that students had been demonstrating for over two weeks but the government was...