Jharkhand Students Clash With Police Over High Court Recruitment Exam Ruling

Students protesting the Jharkhand High Court's stay on the cancellation of recruitment examinations clashed with police and ruling party workers in Ranchi on Friday, August 21, 2026, after attempting to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The confrontation occurred amid ongoing tensions over alleged irregularities in state recruitment exams.

The protest was organized by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, a group of job aspirants, following a series of High Court orders that stayed the state government's decisions to cancel several recruitment examinations and appointments. On Thursday, August 20, the court stayed the cancellation of the 11th to 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission Combined Civil Services examinations and directed selected candidates to resume their duties. On Friday, the court issued further stays on the cancellation of appointments for Child Development Project Officers and candidates recruited through the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level examination.

The student group had announced plans to burn effigies of the Chief Minister across all 24 districts of Jharkhand in response to the court's...