Though people were surprised at first, many began applauding the Maharashtra man dressed as Pushpa, when he declared he was joining the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march.

Though people were surprised at first, many began applauding the Maharashtra man dressed as Pushpa, when he declared he was joining the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march.

Though people were surprised at first, many began applauding the Maharashtra man dressed as Pushpa, when he declared he was joining the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march.

Amid the tense environment in Jharkhand, students protesting against the alleged irregularities in state public service exams near the Assembly building were in for a surprise, when a person dressed up as the Telugu film character 'Pushpa' made an appearance.

Though people were surprised at first, many began applauding the Maharashtra man dressed as Pushpa, when he declared he was joining the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march.

"Jharkhand ke students jhukenge nahi, rukenge nahi, jab tak nyay milega nahi (Jharkhand's students will not bow down, will not stop, until justice is delivered)," the man said, sporting long hair, a large moustache, thick rings and gold chains, and black shades, much like Allu Arjun's character from the Pushpa franchise.

"People told me that big actors and influencers reached Jantar Mantar to support that protest. These people are also students, we should not discriminate ... This matter should reach the national media and these students should get justice," he added at the protests, which have reached their 17th day.

This comes as thousands of students have been protesting on the streets, recently aided by groups like the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the All India Students' Association (AISA), against alleged issues with the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

The Monday protests turned violent, with reports showing the use of lathi charges on the protesters, just like at the Jantar Mantar protests weeks ago.

The protests have already brought about some results, with the state CID arresting JPSC chairperson L. Khiangte, in addition to two other resignations and the cancellation of three JPSC exams.

The Hemant Soren-led government has also promised a fast-track court and that chargesheets related to exam irregularities would be filed in 90 days.

Yet, the protest march towards the Jharkhand Assembly took place on Monday because the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch had warned that two of their demands were still unmet: a CBI probe into the alleged issues with the exams, as well as action over alleged problems with the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) and JSSC examinations.