The Jharkhand government’s decision to cancel recruitment examinations following 25 days of student protests was aimed at defusing mounting political pressure on the ruling JMM-Congress alliance. Instead, the move has opened a new political battleground, with student leaders at its centre.The student protests were officially called off on August 19 after the state government, led by Chief Minister and JMM president Hemant Soren, announced the cancellation of the examinations.AdvertisementBut those who had already secured government jobs challenged the decision in the Jharkhand High Court, which subsequently stayed the cancellation. The order came as immediate relief to the government, bringing the agitation to an end while protecting the appointments of those who stood to lose their jobs.The court intervention, however, triggered discontent among students who feared losing their jobs and saw the legal challenge as a betrayal after 25 days of agitation.The protests had brought to light deep political and ideological differences within the student movement, which had attracted support from groups across the political spectrum. With the agitation now over, their two factions have taken separate paths, bringing those differences into sharper focus.Politics of protestsAdvertisementThe protest began on July 25, when a small group of students gathered at Ranchi’s Bapu Vatika to demand action over alleged irregularities in the JPSC 14th preliminary examination. By July 29, the gathering had grown, prompting the protesters to shift to Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.As the movement expanded, differences emerged among the student leadership over the role of political organisations and ideological positions. The protesters eventually split into two groups — the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch and the JPSC-JSSC Abhyarthi Nyay Manch.A student associated with the Abhyarthi Nyay Manch, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it had initially been agreed that coaching teachers and others supporting the movement would remain in the background and not seek political mileage from the agitation. “However, one or two teachers connected to one party began taking a more visible role in the movement,” he said.He said the differences became apparent over issues such as the distinction between the protests at Jantar Mantar and in Jharkhand, the use of slogans such as “Azadi” and “Jai Bhim”, and the controversy surrounding “Junaid ki biryani”.“Our platform never objected to anyone’s participation. We welcomed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Junaid as well as AISA leader Neha Bora,” he said.The Reform Manch has rejected the allegation, calling it an attempt by a few people to weaken the movement.The differences were not limited to ideology. The two factions also had separate delegates negotiating with the government.With the protest over, the factions have chosen different routes. One has returned to the streets against the government’s decision and faced police action, while the other has launched a statewide mobilisation centred on recruitment and education reforms.Reform Manch back on streetsOn August 21, members of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch returned to the streets, protesting the court’s decision and burning effigies of Soren across 24 districts of the state. In Ranchi, the protest led to a clash between students and JMM workers, who opposed the effigy-burning.The following day, police registered five FIRs — three in Ranchi and one each in Giridih and Hazaribagh — against more than 1,000 unnamed people in connection with the incidents.JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey alleged that the BJP and coaching teachers associated with the party were attempting to appropriate the student movement for political gains.“The students had already returned home after their demands were met. The JMM had not officially ordered any party worker to go and stop the protest. Police action should not be given a political colour,” Pandey told The Indian Express.The BJP, however, has slammed the government, backing the protesters.Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has shared his email ID and offered free legal assistance to those named in the FIRs. On Tuesday, Marandi visited Ranchi’s Kotwali police station with members of the Reform Manch to submit a complaint against JMM members, alleging that the students had been subjected to injustice.He said the police, who should have acted against those who allegedly harassed the students, were instead targeting the protesters.Pratima Kumari, 26, in whose name the complaint was filed, said she accompanied Marandi to the police station because no one had earlier been willing to register her complaint.“I have named eight people in the complaint, including Shahbaz Malik, who harassed and assaulted me and used abusive language,” she said.Asked about the JMM’s allegation that student leaders were linked to the BJP, Kumari said the protesters were not affiliated with any party and had remained independent while raising their demands. “This is just an attempt to break the protest,” she said.She also rejected allegations against the Reform Manch, saying that allegations against the CM were not necessarily true, just as allegations against the students were baseless.Mahto’s reform yatraThe JPSC-JSSC Abhyarthi Nyay Manch, led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Mahto, has shifted its focus from street protests to statewide mobilisation for reforms in the recruitment and education systems.Mahto launched the “Bharti Vyavastha Sudhar Yatra” from Nemra in Ramgarh district, the native village of former CM late Shibu Soren, Hemant’s father.He said he would travel across districts to mobilise people for the cause of reforms. “We are disappointed with the government’s actions, but we have made a new start. The motive behind my yatra is to bring reform in the education system in Jharkhand, which has been rotten for the last 25 years,” he said.Asked whether he was seeking to turn the recruitment agitation into a political career, Mahto said he had been raising issues related to the JPSC-JSSC reforms well before the protest began.you may likeThe launch of the yatra, however, met with opposition in Nemra, where local Adivasis prevented Mahto from entering the village. Residents carried traditional weapons, including bows, arrows and axes.Mahto subsequently continued the yatra, travelling to Hazaribagh and Chatra on Wednesday.He said he had deliberately kept his political identity separate from the movement. “I never brought my political flag anywhere in the protest, neither during the protest nor now,” he said, adding that his objective was centred on reforms. “We have no political funding. We have nothing except people’s support,” he said.