Thousands of Gen Z students and job seekers in India’s Jharkhand state have continued a hunger strike over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, the Hindustan Times reported.
The protest began July 29 at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi after a movement by the Cockroach Janata Party in Delhi was suspended.
Protesters have alleged widespread irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission civil services examination. Five more students joined an indefinite hunger strike on Tuesday, increasing pressure on the movement, according to the report.
Abhijit Deepak, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, said he had spoken to student leaders by video call and that his group supported their demands. The party previously led a protest in Delhi over alleged leaks in the NEET examination.
Several groups announced protest programs, including a Jharkhand Kranti Morcha march on Aug. 6, a joint protest by the All India Students’ Association and social organizations on Aug. 7, and a nonpartisan march by students on Aug. 10.
The report said people from different cities had sent food and supplies to the protest site through delivery applications. The Jharkhand unit of the All India Students’ Association also protested alleged question leaks in state recruitment examinations.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the state was awaiting a Criminal Investigation Department report and that a special investigation team was working around the clock. He said the government would take necessary action after receiving the report and would do what was needed for students’ welfare within constitutional processes.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report