Student on hunger strike hospitalized as Jharkhand exam protest reaches two weeks

The hunger strike over claimed irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Subordinate Service Commission exams has reached its 14th day, with six students still refusing food. After his health declined, one striker was taken from Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Sadar Hospital on Friday. Protesters are demanding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination and an independent investigation by either the Central Bureau of Investigation or a panel of retired High Court judges from outside the state.

An eleven-member student delegation met the state government following Chief Minister Hemant Soren's invitation for dialogue, but they insist on a direct meeting with the chief minister and a public guarantee of their demands. The All India Students' Association and the All India Students' Federation have announced a march toward the Jharkhand Assembly during the ongoing Monsoon Session, with prohibitory orders imposed within a 750-metre radius of the Vidhan Sabha from August 6 to August 12.