Thousands of job aspirants in Jharkhand protested against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations on Monday, clashing with police near the state Assembly. The demonstrators, carrying national flags and placards, demanded a cancellation of the recruitment exams and an independent probe by either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a panel of retired high court judges from outside Jharkhand. The protests occurred as the Jharkhand Assembly was in session and coincided with Chief Minister Hemant Soren's birthday. Protesters, led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, breached several barricades despite heavy security deployment and were met with water cannons, tear gas shells, and lathi charges from police. The clashes left several demonstrators claiming injuries. Notably, JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto, on a nine-day hunger strike over the issue, joined the protest in an ambulance. The agitation has been ongoing for more than two weeks and demands comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), as well as cancellation of several recruitment tests, including the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination. Placards during Monday's march read: "Cancel JSSC-CGL Exams or Conduct a CBI Probe", "Why is CID escaping from conducting a raid on JSSC?" and "Conduct an impartial investigation, bring out the truth." The protesters accused the government of agreeing to cancel only three of the 13 examinations they wanted scrapped.