Protesting students in Jharkhand allege attempts to suppress their movement after JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahato was hospitalized due to a hunger strike over recruitment examination irregularities. The government plans further talks amidst accusations of political maneuvering, with key demands including exam cancellations and probes.

Protesting students in Jharkhand allege attempts to suppress their movement after JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahato was hospitalized due to a hunger strike over recruitment examination irregularities. The government plans further talks amidst accusations of political maneuvering, with key demands including exam cancellations and probes.

Protesting students in Jharkhand allege attempts to suppress their movement after JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahato was hospitalized due to a hunger strike over recruitment examination irregularities. The government plans further talks amidst accusations of political maneuvering, with key demands including exam cancellations and probes.

Students protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand on Sunday claimed that authorities were attempting to remove Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) leader Devendra Nath Mahato from the protest site, drawing a comparison with activist Sonam Wangchuk’s removal from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

Prem Nayak, one of the protesters, told the media that a medical team visited Mahato several times on Saturday night. Mahato has been on hunger strike for nearly a week at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Stadium.

“Last night, efforts were also made to take Devendra Nath Mahato away. Given the way the administration is behaving, it seems they want to remove him. As I feel, they want to take him away and, once he regains consciousness, shift him to a hospital, just as they did with Sonam Wangchuk, and then suppress the movement,” Nayak said.

According to reports, Mahato’s health deteriorated sharply around 3 am on Sunday, with doctors recording his blood glucose level at 53.

Nayak said the protesters would continue their peaceful agitation and urged the government to stop what he described as harassment.

“We are only putting forward our demands peacefully. Till today, we have strictly and sincerely followed the law and the Constitution while raising our concerns,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand government is set to hold another round of talks with students protesting alleged recruitment examination irregularities, with the agitation entering its 16th day on Sunday. The decision to hold fresh talks came after a series of meetings between government representatives and protesters on Friday night and throughout Saturday failed to resolve the deadlock.

However, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch accused the state government of “political manoeuvring”, alleging that the fresh talks were aimed at creating divisions among protesting students and diverting public attention from their core demands.

“This is political manoeuvring by the government. It is trying to create a divide among students and divert attention. But they should know that all students are united,” Ravindra Paswan, a leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said at a press conference.

The protesting students have put forward five demands, including the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination. The NSUI has submitted six demands, including a CID probe within 90 days into all JPSC and JSSC examinations under suspicion, as well as the establishment of a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency.

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