Student Anger Must Be Heard with Empathy, Not Dismissed with Arrogance
Ranchi: What is happening in Ranchi is not good for Jharkhand. The anger and frustration of students and job aspirants deserve to be heard with empathy rather than being dismissed arrogantly.
Thousands of young people across the country spend years preparing for competitive examinations. They sacrifice sleep, comfort, family time and, in many cases, their parents’ hard-earned savings, holding on to the hope that their hard work will eventually earn them a fair opportunity to realise their dreams.
For many ordinary families, a government job is not merely employment. It represents security, dignity and a chance to transform the family’s future.
That is why allegations of irregularities, paper leaks, favouritism, lack of transparency or manipulation in recruitment examinations are deeply painful for aspirants. When young people begin to believe that merit can be defeated by money, influence or connections, the damage goes far beyond an examination—it weakens their trust in the system itself.
And this is not only a Jharkhand issue. Across the country, controversies surrounding recruitment examinations have repeatedly shaken the confidence of young aspirants.
Ordinary Students Bear the Biggest Cost
Those who suffer the most are often not people with money, influence or powerful connections. The real sufferers are ordinary students, particularly those from lower-middle-class, poor and socially and economically disadvantaged families.
For many of them, their hard work, merit and hope are their only assets.
Whether at Jantar Mantar, Ranchi or elsewhere, the anxiety, anger and frustration of students are real and understandable. Their dreams, built on years of preparation, cannot simply be allowed to collapse.
Government Must Engage in Dialogue
It is time for the JMM-led Jharkhand government to demonstrate sensitivity and rise above confrontation. Water cannons and tear gas are not a solution.
The government should engage seriously with protesting students at the earliest and address their genuine concerns through an independent, transparent and time-bound mechanism.
If irregularities have occurred, responsibility must be fixed and corrective action taken. If mistakes have been made, they should be rectified without unnecessary delay.
On the other hand, if the recruitment process is genuinely clean, that should be established through evidence, transparency and an open process—not merely through official statements.
All remaining issues should be resolved through meaningful dialogue rather than confrontation.
It Is About the Dreams of Thousands of Young People
Ultimately, this is not just about one protest, one examination or one government. It is about the dreams of thousands of young people.
Behind every protesting student may be a worried mother, a father who has spent his savings, a family waiting for a better tomorrow and a young person who has already devoted years of their life to preparation.
Their faith in hard work and merit must not be allowed to disappear.
At this moment, Jharkhand needs neither confrontation nor political point-scoring. It needs listening, empathy, accountability and justice.