Jharkhand protests: Three, including Devendra Mahto, call off hunger strike; say 'struggle for reform' will continue

Jharkhand student leader Devendra Mahto on Tuesday ended his hunger strike after the Jharkhand government announced that the JSSC-CGL examination and all examinations that the TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) conducted in the state stand cancelled.

Mahto broke his hunger strike in the presence of state ministers Dipika Pandey Singh and Irfan Ansari.

Two other protestors, Umme Habiba and Rahul Kranti, also ended their hunger strike along with Mahto.

The student leader was on a 16-day hunger strike and thanked Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, and state ministers Dipika Pande and Irfan Ansari for agreeing to the students' demands.

Mahto praised the government for the decision, saying, " I thank the Jharkhand government for showing the courage to make such a significant decision--cancelling an exam was a massive challenge."

He added, "It was not an easy call, given that the recruitment process for the JSSC CGL examination had already reached the joining stage and many students had likely already secured their positions. Yet, considering the critical situation, the government took this bold step for the students."

Mahto also said that although he is calling off his protest for now, his 'struggle for reform' will continue.

"I envision an education system where paper leaks and irregularities do not occur--a system that guarantees that children currently in primary or secondary school would not have to make such sacrifices or fight such battles when they eventually appear for JPSC or JSSC exams," he said.

Mahto said that if this means the Legislative Assembly needs to enact more laws to achieve this, then 'so be it'.

“Every examination must be monitored, every examination must be audited, and there must be a clear certificate for every examination and at every stage; we will continue to struggle for this,” he added.

Umme Habiba raises several demands

Umme Habiba, who also broke her hunger strike, along with Mahto, raised a number of demands after calling off her hunger strike.

She has called for the withdrawal of legal action against students involved in the protests and has also asked that the government uphold their right to peaceful and democratic protest.

"Any legal action--whether an FIR or any proposed measure--registered against the students should be withdrawn, and the right to peaceful, democratic protest must be respected. Another demand is that Santosh Mastana be reinstated in service by revoking his suspension," she told ANI.

"Furthermore, regarding CID Case No. 025, necessary action should be taken in accordance with the rules to expedite the process of closing or withdrawing the case. Therefore, I make a personal appeal to the Chief Minister to take an immediate, positive, and time-bound decision regarding these demands, considering my deteriorating health condition," Habiba added.