Jharkhand’s student protest over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations entered its 16th day even as the state government agreed to cancel three examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC). However, it refused to accede to the students’ demand for a CBI probe.The disagreement has left the agitation deadlocked despite a third round of talks in Ranchi on Jattvibeday. Students said the cancellation of the examinations was an important demand, but the issue had now shifted to a larger question: who should investigate the alleged irregularities and how independent that investigation should be.The students have announced a march to the Jharkhand Assembly on August 10 and said the agitation would continue unless the government announces a CBI investigation.The latest talks were held between a four-member ministerial committee and representatives of students protesting against alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).State ministers Sudivya Kumar, Deepika Pandey Singh, Sanjay Prasad Yadav and Chamra Linda took part in the discussions.The government said it had agreed to 98 per cent of the demands put forward by the students. However, it maintained that it could not accept the remaining demands, including a CBI investigation.Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government had explained to the students why the remaining two per cent of the demands could not be accepted. He also said the government could not cancel the Combined Graduate Level examination because it had been conducted under the directions of the Jharkhand High Court and the Supreme Court.The committee agreed to the students’ core demand to cancel the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination, the Civil Services Backlog Examination 2023 and the Civil Services Backlog Examination 2025. It also agreed to an investigation into all competitive examinations linked to the agency, TDPL.Kumar said the government would recommend an Enforcement Directorate probe into financial irregularities in JPSC examinations.But for the protesters, the concessions did not settle the central issue. The committee also held discussions with the ‘JPSC JSSC Reforms Manch’ and the group led by Devendra Nath Mahto. Talks with the AISA were also underway.The student representatives were Ravindra Paswan, Piyush Kumar Singh, Ravindra Kumar Ravi, Rajesh Prasad, Neetu Kujur, Kartik Soren, Ankit Kumar and Shalu Singh. Journalists Shambhunath Chaudhary and Vikas Verma, along with advocate Ajit Kumar, were to accompany the delegation as guardians and advisers.The government also reached out to Mahto, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for eight days. His health deteriorated around 3 am on Jattvibeday, when doctors found that his blood glucose level was low. The government’s negotiation committee contacted him and sought an update on his condition.State minister Deepika Pandey Singh appealed to Mahto to end his hunger strike. Mahto did not immediately agree to end his fast, saying he would decide after the student representatives returned from talks.The outreach followed several rounds of discussions between government officials and student organisations from Friday night to Saturday that failed to produce a final settlement.The controversy has also led to changes within the JPSC itself. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar accepted the resignations of three commission members — Ajita Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmad — following a recommendation from the state government.Earlier, JPSC Chairman L Khiangte resigned on July 22, shortly after the CID carried out a raid at the commission’s office.The dispute has its roots in a JSSC recruitment test held on September 21 and 22, 2024. The test was reconducted after an earlier one was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak. Internet services were suspended across Jharkhand during the re-test to prevent the circulation of question papers and answer keys.Candidates, however, alleged that answers were still circulated through landline phones and dictated to aspirants.”We received the answers, not questions. After the exam, it was confirmed that the answers were correct. The report was also submitted to a court,” Jeet Kumar said.Kumar and others later filed a petition in a Ranchi court. He pointed to a photocopy of the answers and said some candidates had written them down while discussing questions with friends.The CID completed its investigation in March 2025 and, according to its initial report, found that 120 of the 150 questions had been leaked. The state government subsequently shelved the report and ordered a second investigation. The second SIT effectively dismissed the paper leak allegations and gave the recruitment process a clean chit.The controversy resurfaced after reports of a similar leak during a JPSC examination, triggering the present student agitation.Meanwhile, the dispute has also reached the Supreme Court. A petition filed by candidates over the 14th JPSC preliminary examination, held on April 19, 2026, seeks cancellation of the examination and a fresh test. The petition also seeks an independent examination of the entire process, including OMR scanning, coding, evaluation and preparation of results.Chief Minister Hemant Soren has accused parties of trying to use the agitation for political gains.Soren said young people were protesting for their rights and that the government had acknowledged irregularities. He said the youth would get justice and those responsible for irregularities would face the strictest possible action.