Wangchuk 2.0? Meet Devendra Nath Mahto, on hunger strike for Jharkhand students
As thousands of students continue their agitation against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff
As thousands of students continue their agitation against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), one name has emerged as the face of the movement — student leader Devendra Nath Mahto. Coming days after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike over the NEET paper leak helped secure a response from the Centre, Mahto's decision to launch an indefinite fast has brought renewed attention to the Jharkhand students' movement. He has emerged as the public face of the ongoing protest at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where students are demanding a fair investigation into alleged irregularities in multiple recruitment examinations. Read Full Story Mahto began his indefinite hunger strike on Sunday night, saying there was no option left after weeks of protests failed to elicit a concrete response from the authorities. Speaking to India Today, he said the movement had reached a point of "now or never" for thousands of aspirants. The protest began after the results of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination were declared on July 5.
According to the protesters, several discrepancies in the examination process have since surfaced in the public domain. Students have been holding demonstrations since then, including a day-and-night satyagraha that started on July 25 and an indefinite sit-in at the stadium from July 29. Mahto is demanding a CBI and ED probe into the alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC examination, the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination and other recruitment tests. He has also called for the cancellation of the 14th JPSC preliminary examination until transparency and fairness are ensured. In a social media post on Monday, Mahto said the hunger strike had entered its second day. "This struggle, which began on July 5 and the ongoing day-and-night satyagraha since July 25 has now reached a difficult stage. There is weakness in the body, but the resolve to deliver justice to students is stronger than ever," he wrote. He appealed to supporters to keep the agitation peaceful and constitutional, saying the fight was not for an individual but for the future of lakhs of young aspirants in Jharkhand.
WHO IS DEVENDRA NATH MAHTO? Devendra Nath Mahto hails from a village in Ranchi. Coming from a rural background, he completed his schooling in Bundu before pursuing higher education at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University in Ranchi. He holds first-division postgraduate degrees in Sanskrit as well as Kurmali, Tribal and Regional Languages. He also earned a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree from Hazaribagh. According to information available in his election affidavit, Mahto contested the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly elections from the Tamar constituency as an Independent candidate. He declared educational qualifications including multiple postgraduate degrees and listed social work and student activism among his primary occupations. Mahto has been associated with student movements since 2015, raising issues related to scholarships, paper leaks, recruitment rules, reservation policies and alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by JPSC and JSSC. He lost his mother during the agitation against alleged irregularities in the 6th JPSC examination. CJP EXTENDS SUPPORT The ongoing agitation has now received support from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said he held a video conference with Mahto and other student leaders on Sunday night and assured them of the party's support.
The BriefWire