Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato ended his 16-day hunger strike on Monday night at Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital after the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and other recruitment tests conducted through TDPL. The decision came after Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered the cancellation of the exams and directed a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities. Mahato, who had been on an indefinite fast demanding action over the recruitment controversy, broke his fast in the presence of state ministers Dipika Pandey Singh and Irfan Ansari.

The cancellation of the examinations marked a major victory for protesting students, who had been demanding a transparent investigation into alleged paper leaks and recruitment malpractice. Reacting to the government’s decision, Mahato described it as a significant step taken in the interest of students and credited the sustained public movement for forcing the administration to act. Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) continued raids to identify and arrest those allegedly involved in the examination irregularities as investigations progressed.

Despite ending his hunger strike, Mahato made it clear that the movement would continue until broader reforms are introduced to ensure fairness and transparency in Jharkhand’s recruitment system. He called for permanent measures to prevent future paper leaks and recruitment scams, while Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi urged the state government to accept the students’ remaining demands. Marandi also questioned why the government would hesitate to face a CBI investigation if the recruitment process had been conducted honestly, warning that unresolved issues could trigger further student protests.