Devendra Nath Mahato has been demanding transparency in recruitment exams conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), along with an impartial investigation and strict action against those found responsible. On Monday, protesting students announced a massive Vidhan Sabha gherao in Ranchi at 10 am. The agitation, being organised under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, has been underway since July 25. (Image: PTI)

Mahato’s protest recently took a new turn after social activist Sonam Wangchuk spoke with him and urged him to prioritise his health. Following their conversation, he agreed to drink water but maintained that he would continue to abstain from food. Mahato said he initially refused to take water but changed his decision after Wangchuk appealed to him on camera. He said he had earlier continued his protest with water and salt during the Jantar Mantar agitation in Delhi. (File Photo)

A prominent student leader from Jharkhand, Mahato holds postgraduate degrees in Sanskrit and Kurmali and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree from Hazaribagh. He completed his postgraduate studies at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University (DSPMU), Ranchi. A member of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), he has been involved in student activism for more than a decade. He has now emerged as one of the prominent faces of a hunger strike in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment examinations. (File Photo)

In the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly election, Mahato contested from the Tamar constituency on a JLKM ticket but was unsuccessful. According to his election affidavit, he has 12 pending criminal cases, including eight classified as serious. The affidavit states that charges had not been framed in the specified cases and that he has no criminal convictions. (File Photo)

Meanwhile, student leader Ravindar Paswan has reiterated that the students will not back down from their demand to scrap the JSSC CGL examination. Alongside cancellation of the exam, they are seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities. The Jharkhand government, however, has offered to set up a judicial commission led by a retired judge to examine the allegations. The students have refused to accept the proposal, insisting that only a CBI probe would be acceptable. The demand for a central investigation has consequently emerged as the key sticking point between the protesting students and the government. (File Photo)