Police in Ranchi used water cannon, tear gas and baton charges against thousands of job aspirants marching on the Jharkhand assembly on Monday, and the state opposition has called a shutdown across Jharkhand in response.
The march marked the seventeenth day of an agitation over alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations. The Bharatiya Janata Party called a bandh from 8am on Tuesday.
What happened at the assembly?
Protesters breached successive barricades, some strung with barbed wire, and came within about 200 metres of the assembly building, where the monsoon session was sitting.
Police deployed water cannon near Jagannathpur Temple and fired tear gas. A further baton charge followed at Gate No. 1, where demonstrators staged a sit-in. The march had begun at about 10:30am from the old assembly building, and coincided with Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s 51st birthday.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Day of agitation | 17th |
| Bandh called | Tuesday 11 August, from 8am |
| Police injured | 14, per Ranchi SSP |
| Central demand | CBI inquiry into the examinations |
What is the Jharkhand exam protest about?
Job aspirants in Jharkhand have been protesting since late July 2026 over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission. On 10 August 2026 thousands marched on the state assembly in Ranchi, breaching barricades and prompting police to use water cannon, tear gas and baton charges. Protesters are demanding the cancellation of the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination or an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. On the same day, the Jharkhand Criminal Investigation Department arrested former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte in connection with alleged irregularities in the commission’s fourteenth Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination, and the Enforcement Directorate opened a money laundering inquiry. The Bharatiya Janata Party called a statewide shutdown for 11 August in protest at the police action.
Who was injured?
Accounts differ. Protesters said several demonstrators, including women, were hurt. One told the Press Trust of India that police struck people on the head, arms and face, and that the baton charge was barbaric. Another, from Hazaribagh district, said he had sustained a head injury.
The Ranchi senior superintendent of police said 14 officers were injured by stone-throwing and that CCTV footage was being examined.
What has the investigation found?
The state Criminal Investigation Department arrested L Khiangte, a former chairperson of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, over alleged irregularities in the commission’s fourteenth Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination. The arrest was confirmed by Manoj Kaushik, additional director general of the CID. The allegations have not been tested in court.
The Enforcement Directorate separately opened a money laundering inquiry into the alleged anomalies.
How the politics have split
BJP state president Aditya Sahu and Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi were among those detained while protesting outside the chief minister’s residence. Sahu said the shutdown was called over what he described as injustice and atrocities against students.
Soren published an open letter urging students not to fall into a political trap, arguing that opposition parties were using the agitation. Three rounds of talks between his government and student representatives have failed, according to student leader Sanjay Mehta.
The dispute has also reached national politics. Rahul Gandhi criticised the police action, prompting the BJP to note that his party sits in the alliance governing Jharkhand.
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Sources for this report
The Redline News Desk
The Redline News desk files and edits world reporting. Every story carries the sources it was built from, and corrections are published on the story itself.
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