Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto ended his 16-day hunger strike late Monday after the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination and all examinations conducted by TDPL.
The decision came amid a prolonged protest by students and job aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. Mahto described the cancellation as a major victory for the protesting students, who have been pressing the government to address concerns surrounding the examination process.
The agitation has continued for weeks in Ranchi, with students demanding greater transparency and accountability in government recruitment examinations. Their concerns have included alleged irregularities in the conduct of examinations and demands for an independent investigation.
Protesters Continue To Demand CBI Investigation
Despite the government’s decision to cancel the examinations, protesters have maintained that their agitation will not end without a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Students have argued that cancelling examinations alone does not establish accountability for the alleged irregularities.
The demand for a CBI investigation has remained one of the central points of disagreement between the protesters and the state government. Earlier rounds of talks failed to resolve the issue, with student representatives rejecting alternatives to a CBI inquiry.
The prolonged agitation has also attracted political attention. Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das backed the demand for a CBI investigation and had earlier given the state government an ultimatum to recommend such a probe.
With the hunger strike now called off following the exam cancellation, the focus is expected to shift to whether the Jharkhand government will agree to the protesters’ remaining demand for an independent CBI investigation into the alleged examination irregularities.