Jharkhand student leader Devendra Nath Mahato on Monday evening ended his hunger strike at Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital, shortly after the Hemant Soren government announced the cancellation of examinations and recruitment processes for government jobs amid weeks of student protests.
Mahato, who had been undergoing treatment at the hospital, ended his fast after meeting ministers and MLAs who visited him. He thanked the state government for initiating action and said the ongoing investigation was focused on identifying those responsible for alleged irregularities in the examination system.
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He said students would continue to support efforts aimed at eliminating corruption and would cooperate with the government in implementing reforms. According to news agency ANI, Mahato said authorities were making a “concerted effort” to trace the key figures allegedly operating examination-related malpractice networks.
However, Mahato stressed that merely ordering investigations would not be enough. He called for a permanent mechanism to ensure that paper leaks and other forms of examination malpractice do not recur.
Referring to previous cases where CBI or CID probes were ordered and later withdrawn, Mahato said students wanted a system in which the government could guarantee that such irregularities would not happen again.
His decision came hours after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation of government recruitment and examinations, including those conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC CGL).
Soren said the government would examine all alleged irregularities dating back to 2014. He also announced that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would investigate examinations conducted in Jharkhand since that year.
Despite Mahato ending his hunger strike, the wider student agitation has not been called off. Protesters continue to demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arguing that a broader and independent investigation is necessary to establish accountability for alleged examination-related corruption.
(Inputs from NDTV)
Edited by: Moonmoon Borah
