Jharkhand students and job aspirants, protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, have burned effigies of the chief minister and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, alleging that the ruling JMM-Congress alliance has “failed to take concrete action” on their demands. They have urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to withdraw support from the JMM-led coalition if the “CM is not listening”.

They also announced that they would gherao Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence in Ranchi on August 20, demanding his resignation. The protest under JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch entered its 23rd day on Sunday.

“We will gherao the chief minister’s residence on August 20. We seek his resignation as both the JMM and the Congress are playing politics with us. We also demand that Rahul Gandhi withdraw support from the JMM-led coalition if the CM is not listening to him,” JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Ravindra Paswan said.

The protesters said they would not withdraw the demonstration until the government addresses their demands. Their major demands are – cancellation of examinations in which alleged irregularities were found (the JSSC-CGL test and certain Jharkhand PSC examinations) and an independent probe into the recruitment process, preferably by CBI or a panel of retired judges from outside Jharkhand.

The protesters took out a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Ranchi on Saturday to mark the country’s 80th Independence Day and to press their demand for greater transparency and reforms in the recruitment examination system. They marched from the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, the site of the ongoing agitation, to Albert Ekka Chowk in Ranchi. Carrying the national flags, the protesters raised slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday said the hard work of job aspirants would not be left at the mercy of the paper leak mafia, corruption or irregularities, and huge employment opportunities would be made available to them through the recruitment agencies of the state.

“Several questions have been raised recently about recruitment examinations. When doubts arise about the examination system, it is not just a single exam that is affected; the trust of an entire generation is shaken. I want to assure every student in Jharkhand that their hard work will not be left at the mercy of any mafia, corrupt system, or irregularity,” CM Soren said.

“This is a serious challenge facing the entire nation. However, I also want to state clearly that what has happened in other states does not diminish Jharkhand’s responsibility,” he said.

Soren said investigations into any alleged irregularities would be conducted impartially and warned that anyone found guilty would face strict legal action, irrespective of their influence or position. At the same time, he said no individual would be declared guilty without evidence. “Merely apprehending the guilty is not the solution,” Soren said.