Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto ended his 16-day hunger strike on August 17–18, 2026, after the Jharkhand government accepted major demands.
Mahto along with the students of Jharkhand had been protesting against alleged discrepancies in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and TDPL. The protest gained significant attention as students demanded action against alleged irregularities, along with the protests that were previously being held at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of the former education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.
After discussions with the students, the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination as well as examinations conducted by TDPL. India has witnessed major student revolutions in the past few months and while, we are not even near a resolution to the issues, the power of democracy shines in the results of these protests.
As the government conceded with the major demands of the students, Devendra Mahto ended his hunger strike after 16 days.
The end of the hunger strike does, in no way, indicate the end of the protest. Students of Jharkhand are still continuously demanding for a fair and free investigation on these exam irregularities by the CBI.
These protests also come under the wider concerns amongst the youth of Jharkhand over the transparency and authenticity of the government recruitment examinations. For many students, recruitment exams represent not just their aspirations for their life, but also their livelihood. They are a crucial route into public-sector employment.
The state government's decision to cancel the examinations and establish a reform committee is being viewed by protesters as a significant step, but there are also protests by the students who have cleared these examinations to not cancel them.
Amidst this chaos, what becomes most important is the amount of accountability and transparency the government is willing to undertake, along with the integrity of the investigation into the alleged irregularities.