Jharkhand Protests: Activist Ends 16-Day Hunger Strike After Government Agrees to Cancel Exam

An activist named Devendra Nath Mahto has ended a 16-day hunger strike in India's Jharkhand state. He stopped after the state government agreed to cancel a controversial job recruitment exam. Mahto ended his fast at a hospital in Ranchi, the state's capital, where doctors had been treating him after his health got worse. He became one of the most well-known faces of protests that started on July 25.

The protests began when job-seekers and students said there were serious problems with government recruitment exams. Some students claimed that answer sheets posted online showed that people who passed had actually answered fewer questions than expected. This made many people suspect that the results had been manipulated, or changed unfairly.

Government jobs are very popular in India because they offer steady pay and long-term security. Every year, millions of people across the country take these exams. Many students attend special coaching classes for years and keep trying until they reach the maximum age allowed to apply.

However, several of these exams have been caught up in scandals. Allegations have surfaced that question papers were leaked before the exams, and that some candidates cheated. Even students who do pass often face more waiting, since the hiring process can take years to complete.

The Jharkhand protests came shortly after a big protest in India's capital, Delhi. That protest ended with the country's education minister stepping down from his job. This put even more pressure on Jharkhand's Chief Minister Hemant Soren to act quickly and respond to protesters' concerns.

The state government did cancel one exam and announced an investigation by the state's Criminal Investigation Department, known as the CID. Police arrested several people, including the head of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission. But the protesters were not fully satisfied with these steps.

Protesters also demanded that another exam — the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level exam, or JSSC-CGL — be canceled as well. They also want India's top national investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to look into the matter. Protesters say they will not stop their demonstrations until the CBI steps in and begins its own probe.