My shroud if needed: JPSC protest leader defies health crisis, continues fast
The student-led agitation against alleged corruption in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) intensified on Tuesday as protest leader
The student-led agitation against alleged corruption in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) intensified on Tuesday as protest leader Devendra Nath Mahto vowed to continue his indefinite hunger strike despite deteriorating health. Mahto, who is leading the Abhyarthi Nyay Manch (Candidates' Justice Forum), is on the sixth day of his fast and has refused to call it off until talks with the government yield a satisfactory outcome for protesting students. Read Full Story Doctors attending to him have warned that his condition is worsening. According to medical officials, Mahato is suffering from a chest infection, low blood sugar, and low blood pressure, and requires immediate hospitalization.
Local administrative officials, including the SDM and the police station in-charge, have repeatedly urged him to seek treatment. However, Mahto remains defiant. In an interaction with Aaj Tak, he said he would not leave the protest site until meaningful talks with the government are held and students' concerns are addressed. “The white sheet I am wrapped in may well become my shroud, but I will not end my fast until the talks are successful,” Mahto said. He also revealed the personal toll the agitation has taken on him. Mahto said he avoids speaking to his family because he fears becoming emotionally vulnerable and losing focus on the movement. “I do not talk to my family.
They would become emotional, and I might become weak toward the movement,” he said. The protest site also witnessed emotional scenes as another hunger striker, Mahendra Prasad from Hazaribagh, broke down in tears while speaking about his struggles. Prasad has been fasting for four consecutive days in support of the movement. Recalling years of hardship, he said he earned an engineering degree in 2014 but never secured a job. The prolonged unemployment led family members to view him as a failure, forcing him to leave home and continue his struggle on his own. Prasad alleged that repeated paper leaks in JPSC and JSSC examinations shattered the hopes of countless aspirants.
“I did not have the money to buy a seat. Exams kept getting affected by paper leaks,” he said. Fighting back tears as he remembered his two young daughters, Prasad said his struggle was not just for himself but for future generations. “I am crying and fighting so that the next generation does not have to cry,” he said. The ongoing protest has become a rallying point for job aspirants demanding transparency and accountability in recruitment examinations, with protesters insisting they will continue their agitation until concrete action is taken against alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment processes. Ends
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