Activist who declared a 16-day hunger strike ends protest in hospital

In India’s eastern state of Jarkxand, one of the activists has ended a hunger strike that lasted 16 days. The government accepted the protesters’ demand to cancel a controversial recruitment examination.

At the same time, the participants in the protest said they would not suspend their street demonstrations until India’s central investigative agency begins an investigation into allegations of irregularities in other recruitment examinations as well.

Devendra Natx Maxto, one of the main participants in the protests, ended the action in the presence of state ministers. He was admitted to a hospital in Ranchi last week after his health deteriorated.

The protests began on 25 July over allegations of irregularities in government job entrance examinations and demands to reform the system.

Government jobs are highly sought after in India because of their stability and reliable income. Every year, millions of people sit examinations for government positions, and many attend special coaching courses.

However, allegations have been made that questions were leaked in advance and that candidates used unfair methods in a number of examinations. The recruitment process sometimes takes several years.

The protests in Jarkxand began last month after the results of the preliminary civil service examination were announced. Some candidates said answer sheets circulated online raised suspicions that the results may have been manipulated.

These events came after major protests in Delhi. Following those protests, the federal education minister resigned and pressure on the Jarkxand government intensified.

The state government agreed to cancel the preliminary examination, and an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department — CID began. Several people, including the head of the Jarkxand Public Service Commission, were arrested.

However, the protesters also demanded the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and an investigation by the country’s Central Bureau of Investigation — CBI.

On Monday evening, Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that this examination would also be cancelled.

The chief minister said that “many shocking facts are emerging” during the CID investigation, but provided no further details.

Soren also announced that all examinations organized by the private company TDPL, which conducted examinations under a tender, would be cancelled, and that recruitment examinations held since 2014 would be reviewed.

If irregularities are found, the fate of the candidates who passed these examinations and were hired for government jobs remains unknown. A special committee will also be established to prepare proposals for reforming the state’s examination system. The government’s decision was welcomed with joy by protesters in Ranchi. They danced and celebrated at the stadium.

Nevertheless, some activists said they would continue the protests until a CBI investigation was announced.

“We will not leave this place until our demand is fulfilled,” student activist Ravindra Pasvan told the ANI news agency.

The protests increased pressure on the government formed by Jarkxand Mukti Morcha, Kongress and other parties. The opposition BJP party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi supported the protesters.

Meanwhile, reports said the decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination had also sparked discontent among candidates who passed the test and had already begun working in government jobs.