India’s latest youth protests should worry every political party, not merely the government that happens to be facing them. The demonstrations in Jharkhand are especially revealing because they have erupted under an India Bloc government, weeks after young people mobilised in Delhi against the BJP-led NDA. The common thread is not ideology. It is a growing conviction that the system governing access to government employment cannot be trusted.

This is the point the political establishment appears to have missed. For Indians in their late twenties and early thirties, competitive examinations are not simply another stage of education. For many, they represent years of preparation and the prospect of economic independence. When allegations of paper leaks, compromised answer sheets, faulty evaluation or opaque recruitment procedures arise, the damage goes beyond an examination result. Time is lost, money is spent and faith in merit itself is shaken. Jharkhand illustrates how difficult that loss of trust is to repair.

The state government has cancelled examinations, accepted resignations at the public service commission, ordered investigations and proposed further institutional measures.........

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