A new youth agitation grips an Indian state after 'cockroach' protests

Weeks after thousands of young Indians poured onto the streets of Delhi in a major 'cockroach' protest over examination paper leaks, another group of frustrated job seekers is making headlines - this time hundreds of miles away, in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

Protesters have gathered at a stadium in the state capital Ranchi, since 25 July, demanding an overhaul of the state's government examination system. Some have been sleeping in the open and several have gone on hunger strike.

Umme Habiba is one of them.

The 27-year-old, from a farming family from Bokaro, has spent years preparing for Jharkhand's civil service examination, hoping it would get her the security of a government job. She has already sat the exam three times and hoped to get a good score this time.

"We want justice. We will not leave until we get it, even if it costs us our lives," she said.

The immediate cause of the anger is a preliminary civil service examination held in April.

After the results were announced in July, candidates alleged that leaked answer sheets shared on social media showed some successful applicants had answered far fewer questions than expected.

This fuelled suspicions that the results had been manipulated. The protesters want the exam scrapped and held again. They also want the case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's premier federal investigative agency.

The allegations are being investigated by Jharkhand's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Jharkhand Public Service Commission has since postponed the next stage of the examination. Its chairman, L Khiangte, resigned on 22 July and has been questioned as part of the investigation.

Investigators are also examining the role of a private company that conducted parts of the examination process, after candidates raised questions about how it was selected.

Deepika Pandey Singh, a minister in the Jharkhand government, told the BBC that the state had begun investigating the allegations even before the current protest.

She urged protesters to let the CID complete its investigation instead of handing the case to the CBI. "We want a fair investigation," she said, adding that anyone responsible - "whether a bureaucrat, employee, middleman or a big politician" - would face action. She also said the government would discuss the protesters' demand to cancel the April exam with them directly.

But protesters say their fight goes beyond one exam. They want a wider probe into alleged recruitment irregularities, action against those responsible and long-delayed hiring completed on time. Above all, they want regular, transparent exams so candidates are no longer left waiting indefinitely.

The stakes are especially high in India, where a government job offers a steady salary, social status and a route into the middle class. Competition is fierce, and many candidates spend years chasing one.

In Jharkhand, protesters say the uncertainty only prolongs the wait. As friends find jobs, marry and move on, many remain dependent on their parents. With every delayed exam, stalled recruitment and fresh controversy, the future they have worked towards slips further away.

For Savita Kumari, the wait began in 2019. Now 28, she has taken the state civil service exam twice. Confident she had cleared this year's preliminary stage, she stayed up for the results, released around midnight. Her name was missing. "We cried the whole night," she said.

Savita believes the exam was manipulated, alleging some candidates left answers blank so they could be filled in later. The CID has since sought answer sheets from successful candidates and raided the offices of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and other locations.

That loss of faith is not confined to Jharkhand. Last month, the much larger protests in Delhi became one of the sharpest expressions of youth anger over examinations and jobs in recent years. The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, the independent youth movement behind those demonstrations, has since announced its support for the protests in Jharkhand.

There are other echoes of Delhi in Ranchi, too.

Nearly two weeks into the protest, the camp has settled into a routine. Supporters bring food, water and supplies, some through CJP networks. During the day, hunger strikers lie on mattresses under tarpaulins, with portraits of BR Ambedkar and freedom fighters behind them. Even monsoon rain does little to empty the camp.

By evening, the mood shifts. Crowds swell, speeches begin and slogans echo across the stadium. For a few hours, the encampment comes alive again.

There is one key difference. Unlike the CJP protests, which emerged outside party politics, the Ranchi agitation has drawn strong political backing.

The BJP, which is in opposition in Jharkhand, has backed the protesters, staged demonstrations, raised the issue in the state assembly and demanded a federal investigation. Congress, a partner in the state government but the BJP's national rival, has also expressed support for the students.

One of the protest's most visible faces is Devendra Nath Mahto, who is also on hunger strike. A former state election candidate, he says he began campaigning over recruitment issues while still a student. In 2023, he joined protests over another state examination despite not having taken the test himself.

"Even if I didn't take the exam today," he said, "I will have to take it tomorrow."

Many protesters are wary of being claimed by any political party and insist that the movement remains theirs.

"Students will lead this movement," said Vikram Kumar. "They will be on the stage and in front." Politicians are welcome to support them, he said, but should "leave their party's flag and agenda at home".

Kumar has been waiting since 2019 for the state to recruit assistant engineers. He said the examination has been advertised only three times since Jharkhand state was created in 2000, even as hundreds of posts remain vacant.

"All we get is assurances," he said.

The government has offered talks, and the protesters have formed an 11-member delegation, though the two sides were yet to meet formally by Friday.

Habiba remains wary.

She says the protesters have heard promises before; what they want now is an investigation they trust and examinations they believe are fair.

For now, they are still waiting.