Fast Continues For Fifth Day, Says Wangchuk
Key Points:
- Sonam Wangchuk denies claims that Devendra Nath Mahato ended fast
- Student leader has refused food for five straight days in Ranchi
- Wangchuk urges government to accept protesting students’ demands
RANCHI – Misleading reports claiming that student leader Devendra Nath Mahato had called off his indefinite hunger strike circulated widely on Wednesday. Mahato has been protesting alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC examinations.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk moved to clarify the situation. He posted on his official social media handle, rejecting the claims as false and misleading.
Wangchuk stated that Mahato’s fast has continued uninterrupted for the past five days. He did not indicate that the student leader had taken any food or water during this period.
The activist has closely followed the students’ movement in Ranchi in recent weeks. He had earlier appealed to another protesting student to continue the agitation rather than abandon it.
However, Wangchuk did not specify the source of the circulating misinformation. He used his post to appeal directly to the state government.
He said the government should accept the demands raised by the agitating students. Mahato is among several student leaders who have staged an indefinite sit-in demanding a fair probe into the exam irregularities.
The protest is part of a broader agitation that has drawn students to torchlight marches and sit-ins across the state capital in recent days. Various organisations have stepped forward to support the demonstrators during the agitation.
Meanwhile, the Jharkhand CID has separately been conducting raids linked to the exam scam, questioning former officials of the commission. Students have maintained an indefinite satyagraha over the matter for over a week.
Wangchuk himself had earlier faced health concerns during his own activism, an episode he referred to following a related political development. He has continued to voice support for the students since then.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren‘s government has faced mounting pressure from opposition parties and student groups over the alleged irregularities. No official response from the state government to Wangchuk’s latest appeal was available on Wednesday.
