Video Editor: Kriti Saxena
"I have said it several times in my press briefings as well. I will continue my fast unto death," said Brahmanand Kumar. A few days ago, a video of Kumar lying by the statue of Jaipal Singh Munda amid heavy rain, as fellow protesters shielded him with umbrellas, went viral on social media.
A PhD scholar from Ramgarh district, Kumar has been on an indefinite hunger strike in Ranchi for the past several days. Despite heavy rain, storms, and repeated requests from friends and family, he refuses to relent or end his fast despite plummeting blood pressure and deteriorating health. Brahmanand has been a victim of several irregularities in public service recruitment examinations.
Even as protest leader Devendra Mahato ended his hunger strike on 5 August following requests from Sonam Wangchuk, Kumar says he will continue fasting until their demands are met.
The agitation against the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) has intensified over the past week, fuelled by ongoing CID investigations into the examinations conducted by the two commissions, and the arrests made in connection with them.
"The doctors came and said my blood pressure is dropping, so I should take salt water. I refused because I feel alright, but I was hoping that at least some government representative would visit us. But that hasn’t happened. Tiger Jairam Mahato came yesterday evening and encouraged us to stay firm despite the rain. So, we are holding our ground until our demands are met," Kumar said.
'No Doubt About Irregularities'
Kumar himself was an aspirant who had appeared for the JSSC-CGL Technical examination for the post of Assistant Superintendent. The answer key released by the JSSC, Kumar claims, incorrectly marked several answers as wrong.
"After raising objections, some errors were corrected, but others were still left unchanged. Even now, the portal updates randomly, changing scores unexpectedly. After the changes, I fell below the qualifying marks," he said. Kumar further alleged that under the revised answer key, incorrect answers were awarded zero marks instead of attracting negative marking.
"There is an ongoing investigation. The CID is involved. Even the chairman of the JPSC has resigned. This proves that irregularities have indeed taken place," Kumar said, urging the state government to take moral responsibility and order a full investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
"Our state is already lagging in terms of development and literacy rates. People here are divided by caste, among many other issues. Jharkhand contributes 40% of the country's minerals, yet our future is played with," he said.
As the protest enters its 13th day, the state government has yet to hold formal talks with the protesters. The All India Students' Association (AISA), meanwhile, has called a march to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly in Ranchi on 7 August, even as Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has assured that the state government is open to hearing the aspirants' demands.
(Production Assistance: Anay Samarth)