Ranchi: Student activist Devendra Nath Mahto has announced that he will soon end his hunger strike after the Hemant Soren government decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination and recruitment exercises conducted through TSR Data Processing Private Limited.
Mahto said the government’s decision addressed key concerns raised by protesting students, but maintained that the wider struggle for reforms in Jharkhand’s education and examination system would continue. He thanked students, parents, the media, police and administration for their support during the agitation.
The student activist said protesters had faced serious challenges while demanding action over alleged irregularities and malpractice in the recruitment and examination system. While acknowledging the government’s latest move, he stressed that students were not yet completely satisfied and that further discussions would determine their next course of action.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and said the government would conduct a comprehensive review of irregularities and errors in examinations since 2014.
The government will also establish an exam reforms committee, headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal, to examine shortcomings in the recruitment and examination process and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Soren further indicated that Jharkhand could implement the Centre’s Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which introduces stricter penalties for organised cheating and examination fraud. The legislation provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines reaching ₹10 crore in serious cases.
The student agitation in Ranchi had entered its 24th day on Monday. Protesters have been demanding comprehensive reforms in the examination system and action over alleged irregularities involving recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.
With the JSSC-CGL cancellation announced, Mahto said the immediate demand had been addressed, but the broader campaign for examination reforms would continue.
