Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, in Ranchi, over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations, consumed water on Wednesday after a video call with climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk. Mahto made clear that while he resumed drinking water on Wangchuk’s personal appeal, his fast from food would continue until the state government addresses the protesters’ core demands.
During the roughly 10 minute conversation, Mahto described his deteriorating condition and the doctor’s warning that further refusal of water could lead to hospitalisation. He noted that the broader satyagraha at the stadium had been underway since late July and that he had begun the full hunger strike on August 2. Wangchuk, expressing solidarity with the job aspirants, urged him to take water, describing the combination of a hunger strike and complete refusal of fluids as “tantamount to suicide.” He encouraged Mahto to prioritise his health so the movement could continue and expressed hope that the Jharkhand government would respond appropriately in the coming days.
Mahto later confirmed he had accepted the request. “I was not keeping well, but on Sonam Wangchuk ji’s request, I took water,” he said, adding that he would now consume water and salt but would not eat until the government listened to the students. He also appealed to Wangchuk to visit Ranchi in person to boost the morale of the protesting aspirants, drawing a parallel with the support Wangchuk had extended during the recent agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Wangchuk’s intervention carries particular weight because of his own recent experience. The Ladakh based activist had himself undertaken a 26-day hunger strike in Delhi, joining the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest that demanded accountability for the NEET paper leak and the resignation of the Union Education Minister. He ended that fast in late July after receiving written assurances from the Centre regarding discussion of examination reforms and related issues in Parliament.
The Ranchi agitation, now in its second week, centres on claims of paper leaks, compromised processes and lack of transparency in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission. Protesters are seeking cancellation of the disputed 14th JPSC preliminary examination, a CBI probe, and systemic reforms. Several other students have also joined hunger strikes at the same venue in recent days as pressure on the Hemant Soren government continues to mount. The Chief Minister has assured justice to the protesting students while asserting that the government will be sensitive towards the issue and had been waiting for the finding of the investigating agency.
