- Jharkhand student protest concludes after 26 days in Ranchi.
- Students demand judicial inquiry into exam irregularities within 60 days.
- Government cancelled 22 exams, ordered probes into 23 others.
Jagran Correspondent, Ranchi: The ongoing Jharkhand student protest, which entered its 26th day over alleged irregularities in the JPSC-JSSC CGL examinations, will conclude at 6 pm on Wednesday at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. The protesting students have been demanding an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the examinations.
Student leader Radhe Kumar said the protesting students had mutually agreed to end the movement at 6 pm on Wednesday. The hunger strike by two students will also be called off at the same time. Meanwhile, Student leader Ravindra Paswan said the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch has postponed its protest for two months to give the Jharkhand government time to address students’ demands.
#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: Student leader Ravindra Paswan says, "...JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch has decided to give 2-month time to the State Govt, and we postpone the protest for 2 months. We are not ending the protest, only postponing it for now. We demand that the Govt 100%… pic.twitter.com/3IDOxiN2z2
— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2026
He stressed that the protest has not been called off and will resume with greater intensity if the government fails to act, including exposing alleged examination mafias and cancelling pending disputed exams.
However, Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari said the students’ agitation has completely ended and that the hunger strike would be called off at 6 pm. He also said the Congress stands with the youth and claimed that the government has fulfilled all the demands raised by the
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Student leader Umesh Prasad said renowned folk singer and Padma Shri awardee Mukund Nayak has been specially invited to formally conclude the hunger strike.
The hunger strike by both students will be broken in Mukund Nayak’s presence, following which a formal announcement marking the end of the 26-day-long movement will be made at the protest site.
#WATCH | Ranchi | On Jharkhand government's notification, student leader Ravindra Paswan says, "Today marks the 26th day of our protest, and yesterday, the government issued a notification regarding the cancellation of the exam. We have reviewed it, and our core committee is… https://t.co/wOMfMWENWp pic.twitter.com/NQOIxqp8JV
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The development comes after the JMM-led government cancelled 22 examinations and ordered probes into 23 others conducted by the state public service commission and an outsourced agency since 2014.
‘Thanksgiving March’ and 60-Day Ultimatum to Govt
Following the conclusion of the 26-day-long protest, Jharkhand students will take out a ‘Thanksgiving March’ in the evening to express their gratitude to the state government.
The students, in particular, thanked Chief Minister Hemant Soren, saying he had accepted their demands and cancelled the concerned examinations, keeping the future of students in mind.
However, student leaders clarified that while the protest is being called off for now, their demand for an investigation remains unchanged.
The students have given the government 60 days to ensure that a judicial inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the examinations is conducted and that concrete action is taken on their key demands. The student leaders said the government has agreed to a judicial inquiry.
The students have warned that if the government fails to take concrete steps towards conducting a judicial inquiry within 60 days, they will relaunch the movement.
According to the student leaders, the agitation has been suspended rather than permanently called off. They said they would continue to closely monitor the government’s actions and decide their next course of action accordingly.
Thousands of students from various districts of Jharkhand participated in the 26-day-long movement. Through hunger strikes, satyagraha, cultural programmes and a Tiranga Yatra, the students raised their demands before the government.
With the formal conclusion of the movement around 6 pm on Wednesday, the first phase of the long-running student agitation will come to an end.