with several students on hunger strike. Protests in Ranchi, capital of the eastern state home to over 33 million people, began July 29 - days after a youth-led "cockroach" movement in New Delhi forced the national education minister's resignation. At least six protesters are fasting, including student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, 33, who has fasted for over a week. "We want the whole system to change", Mahto said, demanding an end to the private company that conducts state civil service tests. On Monday, hundreds of police guarded the assembly behind barbed-wire barricades after talks between protesters and the state government failed. Protesters demand cancellation of several exams run by a private company for the state and a federal police investigation. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has tried to defuse the protests by accepting some demands, while several members of the civil service exam oversight body have resigned. "Every problem can be resolved through dialogue", Soren said Sunday. The New Delhi protesters, organized by the online Cockroach Janta Party, rallied 36 days over alleged examination failures before education minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down - an unusual victory that made exam integrity a major political issue. The Jharkhand protests echo those demands, reflecting wider frustration among young Indians who view government exams as a key route to employment, with millions competing for limited public-sector jobs. Notably, while the New Delhi protests challenged PM Narendra Modi's BJP, the Jharkhand rallies target the state government, which opposes the BJP. (Bssnews)