Cake, Spider-Man and barricade breach: Jharkhand exam protest takes Gen-Z turn

Jharkhand’s recruitment exam protest took a Gen-Z turn on Monday as students cut a cake for Chief Minister Hemant Soren and one protester dressed as Spider-Man. Protesters also breached barricades and faced water cannons while marching towards the Assembly.

Ranchi: As the agitation over irregularities in recruitment examinations intensified in Jharkhand, protesting students adopted unique Gen Z-style demonstrations outside the state Assembly on Monday, with one group organising a sarcastic cake-cutting ceremony to mark Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s birthday, while another protester appeared dressed as Spider-Man, drawing attention through social media memes.

The students marched towards the Assembly premises despite heightened security arrangements in the area as their protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations continued. Police carried out a lathi charge and deployed water cannons after the protesters moved closer to the Assembly.

---

Water cannons were used after the protesting students breached multiple barricades put up by the security personnel and continued their march towards the Assembly.

Despite the powerful jets of water being directed at them, several protesters were seen dancing and continuing to raise slogans.

Meanwhile, the state police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested former Jharkhand Public Service Commission’s (JPSC) Chairman L. Khiangte in connection with the case.

Amid the tense situation outside the Assembly, unique visuals also emerged as students gathered near the Assembly gates and organised a cake-cutting ceremony to mark Chief Minister Soren’s birthday. The gesture was presented as a sarcastic form of protest, as the students linked the celebration to their demands over the disputed recruitment examinations.

“Today is our Hemu Chacha’s birthday, so we will celebrate his birthday. Since he is hiding, we will celebrate his happiness and birthday here. In return gift, we demand the cancellation of all the exams which faced irregularities, CBI probe and fulfilment of our other demands,” a protesting student said.

Another student arrived at the protest dressed as Spider-Man and explained that the costume was part of what he described as a Gen-Z style of demonstrating against the government.

“Since we are Gen Z, our way of protesting is a little different. That is why I have perhaps come here dressed as Spider-Man today. Perhaps our voice is not reaching the government properly. We have protested peacefully so far. We will also make every effort here to continue our protest peacefully and get our demands fulfilled,” the student told IANS.

During the march towards the Vidhan Sabha, another protesting student took a sarcastic jibe at the state government by referring to ‘Hariya’, a traditional tribal drink, and said that if the government wanted to sell something, it should sell the local beverage rather than examination papers.

Speaking to IANS, the student, holding a placard ‘Hariya becho, exam nahi’, said: “Hariyaa (a traditional rice-based fermented drink) is a major product of our state, and we offer it to our God. It is also a source of income for our tribal brothers. So, if you sell Hariyaa, they will earn an income. If you want to sell something, sell this, but please don’t sell our exams or our future.”

The protest has been led by aspirants seeking greater transparency, accountability and fairness in the recruitment process.

The march escalated after protesters managed to break through several barricades erected by security personnel and continued towards the Vidhan Sabha.

Fasting student leader Devendra Nath Mahto also joined the demonstration on a stretcher.

The students have maintained that their agitation will continue until their demands regarding the recruitment examinations are addressed and concrete action is taken against those responsible for irregularities.