‘Kya Hum Is Desh Ke Bachche Nahi Hai?’ Meet 4 Students On Hunger Strike Amid Jharkhand’s JPSC Exam Protest
News india ‘Kya Hum Is Desh Ke Bachche Nahi Hai?’ Meet 4 Students On Hunger Strike Amid Jharkhand’s JPSC Exam Protest ‘Kya Hum Is Desh
News india ‘Kya Hum Is Desh Ke Bachche Nahi Hai?’ Meet 4 Students On Hunger Strike Amid Jharkhand’s JPSC Exam Protest ‘Kya Hum Is Desh Ke Bachche Nahi Hai?’ Meet 4 Students On Hunger Strike Amid Jharkhand’s JPSC Exam Protest Reported By, Last Updated: August 05, 2026, 18:28 IST Jharkhand JPSC exam protest: As Vidhan Sabha session convenes on Thursday, students have upped the stake majorly for Hemant Soren's government Rapid Read The four protesting students. (News18) Sabita Kumari can’t hold back her tears. “Waise bhi humare jeene marne ki baat aa gayi hai. Itne dino se shantipurvak apne liye nyay mang rahe the… jab koi sun hi nahi raha to ab jiye ya mare kya jaata hai [Anyway, it’s come down to life and death for us. We’ve been peacefully seeking justice for ourselves for so many days. But when no one is willing to listen, what difference does it make now whether we live or die]?" the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) aspirant who has started an indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday told CNN-News18. “Rahul Gandhi ji NEET ke chhatron ke liye khade hue…Pradhan Mantri ji ke ghar ka gherao kiya.
Yehan unke gathbandhan ki sarkar hai par wo ek shabd nahi bol rahe. Kya hum is desh ke bachche nahi hai [Rahul Gandhi stood up for the NEET students. He even laid siege to the Prime Minister’s residence. Here, his alliance is in power, yet they are not saying a single word. Aren’t we the children of this country too]," Sabita asks, tears flowing freely down her cheek. Sabita came to Ranchi in 2019, from her small hamlet in interior Jharkhand. A government job was her ticket to plucking the family out of poverty. A small hostel room in Jharkhand’s capital and her books were her tools to fend off family pressure for marriage. She says she was confident of cracking the JPSC exams this year but the corrupt practices robbed her of her dream. “Kya muh lekar ghar jaye ab [How am I supposed to face my family now]?" she says. Resting next to her is Umi Habiba, a JPSC aspirant from Bokaro. A pocket-size copy of the Indian constitution lies on her chest, a copy similar to the one Rahul Gandhi often wields. “He is a yuva neta. He is doing ‘Chhatron ki Gunj’ in city after city.
Why not raise voice for us also," she asks. Rahul Kranti is the third student who has declared a hunger strike. Kranti’s age meant this was his last attempt at JPSC. He had approached high court for one year age relaxation so that he could write the exam this year. “I have topped all through school, college. I am a PhD scholar. Yet as per government, I lack the merit to even get the job of a chaprasi [peon]," he says. The steady voice giving no hint that not a drop of water has passed in the last 24 hours. The fourth student, Rupesh Pal, has not yet told his family that he is on a hunger strike. “Only bhaiya knows," he says. Pal did his primary education from Godda. Ask him if cancellation of the 14th JPSC would convince him to give up the hunger strike and a vehement no is uttered even before the question is over. All four students say in unison, “Government is playing with our future and future of those who will take exams in coming years. Nothing short of a complete overhaul will work." The firm resolve comes even as a few metres away another protestor on hunger strike, Devender Mahto, has his first sip of water after four days.
The BriefWire