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Ranchi: The health condition of four student protesters who were on hunger strike over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and are undergoing treatment at Sadar Hospital here is stable, officials said on Wednesday, August 12.

A core committee member of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch said two protesters, Habiba and Rahul Kranti, were admitted on Tuesday and on August 7, respectively.

Two other protesters, Devendra Nath Mahto and Mahendra Pratap, who are protesting under the banner of JSSC-Chhatra Manch, are also receiving treatment in the same hospital.

“The health condition of all four students is stable. Check-ups and regular monitoring of their health are being done periodically,” the deputy superintendent of Sadar Hospital said.

He said Mahto was still fasting, but his health condition was stable, while Kranti was taking a liquid diet.

Mahto has been on hunger strike for the past 11 days to protest alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

He was admitted to the hospital on Monday after his health deteriorated following his participation in a march to the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi by agitating students.

“We urged Mahto to take food, but he has refused,” Singh said.

Kranti told PTI that he had started taking a liquid diet, including fruit juice and milk, after doctors counselled him.

He said his health condition was gradually improving.

Kranti, a resident of Palamu district, began his fast at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium on August 4 and was brought to the hospital on August 7 after his health deteriorated.

Ministers visit protestors in hospital

State Health Minister Irfan Ansari told reporters on Wednesday that he had visited the hospital and met the protesters undergoing treatment.

“I am urging students not to risk their lives by sitting on a hunger strike. The government has already constituted a team, dialogues have been held, and more will be held,” Ansari said.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Amrendra Prasad, said four students are receiving treatment and their condition is stable.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey said she visited the hospital and met the students.

“Of the four students, I met three and persuaded them to take food, but they have refused. These are completely genuine students, who have been in protest and on hunger strike over the past 10 days. I spoke to them and tried to address their concerns. I will update Chief Minister Hemant Soren about their condition,” Tirkey said.

“I am quite pained after meeting these genuine students. They were truly hoping that someone from the government would come and approach them. But the delegation that met the committee formed by the government side did not include these students, which is quite shocking,” Tirkey told PTI.

Students to continue hunger strike

Habiba, a protester from Bokaro district, said, “Until our issues are resolved, I will remain on hunger strike. Out of 135 questions, 120 were leaked in the JSSC-CGL exam, and we have been fighting over this issue for over three months.”

“We have been scammed badly. We had collected money and appealed in both the High Court and Supreme Court, but lost the case because the CID submitted the wrong report to the court, causing us to lose the case,” she claimed before the minister.

“We aren’t against the government, but we are against the corrupt system. We just want our trust in the system restored,” said Smiriti Aishwarya, Habiba’s teacher, who was present at the hospital.