Protestor Prem Nayak, on an 11-day hunger strike in Ranchi over alleged JPSC-JSSC exam irregularities, vows to continue despite failing health. Another leader, hospitalized after a lathi-charge, is seeking to rejoin the protest site.
‘Staying alive serves no purpose’: Protester on hunger strike for 11 days
Prem Nayak, a protestor who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 11 days over alleged irregularities in JPSC-JSSC examinations, on Thursday vowed to continue his hunger strike until the government fulfils the students’ demands, even as his health continues to deteriorate.
Speaking to ANI from the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium on the 20th day of the overall demonstration, Nayak emphasised that the agitating students are prepared to risk their lives for the cause. “Today marks the 11th day of my hunger strike and the 20th day of our overall protest. The situation is deteriorating rapidly. Doctors are advising me to call off the hunger strike, but since the government is not acceding to our demands, all of us participating in the strike, including those on the hunger strike, have resolved to continue; we feel that staying alive under these circumstances serves no purpose,” Nayak said.
The student leader said that despite the physical toll of the prolonged hunger strike, the protesters have remained firm in their communication with medical professionals. “We have told the doctors we will remain on hunger strike until the government fulfils our demands,” he added.
‘Govt wants us removed by any means necessary’
Nayak further alleged that the local administration and the state government were making concerted efforts to dismantle the protest. “The administration visited us last night, and we observed a slight softening in their attitude. However, the administration still wants to remove us somehow, and the doctors share that same desire. The government has made it clear that we must be removed by any means necessary,” he added.
Hospitalized leader seeks to rejoin protest
Meanwhile, student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 11 days protesting alleged corruption in JPSC-JSSC examinations, on Wednesday sought formal permission from hospital authorities to return to the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi.
Mahto, who is currently undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital following injuries sustained during a police lathi-charge on August 10, wrote a formal application to the Civil Surgeon, stating that being away from his fellow protesters is causing him more distress than his physical ailments. “My body is undergoing treatment in the hospital bed, but my soul and resolve are at the Satyagraha site where students and youth are engaged in a just struggle for their future. The indefinite hunger strike continues on its 11th day in Sadar Hospital,” Mahto stated in a message shared on social media.
In his handwritten letter to the medical authorities, Mahto expressed his emotional distress over being separated from the protest site and requested permission to return. “Sir, the students, youth, and common people of Jharkhand are carrying forward the struggle day and night at the Satyagraha protest site, Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, with hope for justice. At this moment, being away from them is a matter of mental agony for me, much more than the physical pain. Therefore, I humbly request you to sympathetically consider my situation and grant me permission to go to the Satyagraha protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium,” Mahto said.
Background of the protest
Mahto was forcefully moved to the hospital by the administration late Monday evening after police used force to disperse thousands of aspirants who had marched toward the state assembly. Jharkhand Police on Monday used lathis and water cannons to control the crowd during the ‘Vidhan Sabha gherao’ march by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examinations.
The protesting aspirants have been demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities, and reforms in the recruitment process. They have alleged that their demands have not been fully accepted by the state government. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)