New Delhi: Student protest leader Devendra Nath Mahto was stopped by Jharkhand Police at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi on Independence Day as he was about to leave for a flag-hoisting ceremony and ‘tiranga march’ at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium.“For 14 days, I have been on a hunger strike, and today the police tried to push and forcefully stop me along with my companions. The police also assaulted my companions who were with me,” Mahto wrote on X and shared videos of the altercation.He called on supporters to reach the stadium, the primary protest site of the students in the state capital. “Despite being hungry for several days, I stand firm for my rights,” he said.Mahto, a member of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha, show a confrontation with police personnel outside his room as he attempted to leave the hospital. He said police repeatedly pushed and shoved him to prevent him from going to the stadium.“Despite this situation, I still want to join this programme in a peaceful manner,” Mahto said, adding that he had a heated argument with the Civil Surgeon over his request to attend the event. He released a video of this discussion as well.Mahto earlier in the morning said that police were stationed outside his hospital room after he had called for the Independence Day march. “What kind of freedom is this? Are we not even free to hoist the tricolor and participate in the tricolor march in our own country?” he wrote on X.He later said he sustained chest injuries during the altercation with police.Mahto subsequently posted a video of sitting outside his hospital room with other students, and said he would remain there until he was allowed to leave the hospital. “Until I am allowed to leave from here, I will sit right here,” he said, adding that he would refuse treatment as well.Student protesters in Jharkhand have been demanding action against irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). They began a sit-in on July 29 at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, followed by an indefinite hunger strike by six people, two of them women. The movement has also received support from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA).Several of their demands were accepted by the state government led by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Hemant Soren, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Preliminary Examination, which was held on April 19.Former JPSC chairperson L. Khiangte was arrested over allegations related to the use of TSR Data Processing Private Limited Agency, a blacklisted company, to conduct tests in the state. The state CID is also probing the TSR matter.The state government has also said that the Enforcement Directorate, a central investigation agency, would probe alleged irregularities in recruitment tests, including the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, the immediate trigger bringing the students to the streets in mid-July.However, there is an impasse over a demand for a CBI probe into exam irregularities.On August 10, the students clashed with police at multiple barricades after thousands arrived from across the state to gherao the assembly. They faced water cannons, tear gas and lathi charges.“The government is crushing our voice and using water cannon and tear gas shells,” Mahto reportedly said.The state government has denied excessive force was used against the protesters, who ultimately arrived at the assembly on August 10, and left a while later.As per reports, the state government has said that the CGL examination was conducted under the directions and supervision of the high court and the Supreme Court of India, which means it does not have the power to cancel it or hand over the case to the CBI.“The use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand is wrong,” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wrote on X the same evening. “Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions,” he wrote.Mahto was admitted to hospital after his health worsened following his participation in the march, which ultimately reached the assembly building after the session had adjourned. NDTV reports that Mahto had on Thursday sought permission from the civil surgeon to attend the tiranga yatra on August 15.“Today, I wrote a letter to the civil surgeon seeking permission to go to the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, the protest site. My body is undergoing treatment on the hospital bed, but my soul is at the satyagraha site where students and youth are engaged in a just struggle for their future,” Mahto said in a social media post.AISA has demanded an impartial investigation into alleged paper leaks and irregularities in various competitive examinations, including JPSC, JSSC-CGL, JPSC-JET, Assistant Teacher, Secondary Teacher and Police Recruitment examinations, along with action against those responsible, the publication of a regular examination calendar and greater transparency in the recruitment process.Mahto, who completed his schooling in Bundu, Jharkhand, later pursued higher education at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi. He holds first-class postgraduate degrees in Sanskrit as well as Kudmali, Tribal and Regional Languages. He also earned a B.Ed. degree in Hazaribagh. He has been associated with student movements since 2015.In the 2024 Jharkhand assembly elections, he contested as an independent candidate from the Tamar constituency. He raising issues related to scholarships, paper leaks, recruitment rules, reservation policy and alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the JPSC and JSSC.