In Ranchi, dramatic events unfolded at a local hospital when Devendra Nath Mahto, a leader of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), attempted to leave the facility. His goal was to join a Tiranga Yatra organized by student protesters in celebration of Independence Day. The situation escalated as Mahto sought to participate in the march, highlighting the tensions surrounding the day’s events.
Jharkhand police officials were seen in video dragging Devendra Nath Mahto into his hospital room as he struggled to leave
Earlier in the day, Mahto said that heavy police deployment could be witnessed outside his hospital room after he expressed a desire to join the flag hoisting march today. In a video from Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital, Mahto – with a Tricolour in his hand, a Tricolour scarf around his neck, and a Tricolour bandana on his forehead – was seen engaged in a tussle with police officials who stopped him from going out. Cops were seen dragging Mahto into his hospital room as he struggled to leave. Mahto was allegedly stopped by police from participating in a Tiranga Yatra at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, which is the epicentre of protests by job aspirants. Thousands of people are demonstrating against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). He was admitted to Sadar Hospital after the Ranchi Vidhan Sabha Gherao march, which turned chaotic after police unleashed lathicharge and used tear gas along with water cannons against the protesting students. “After expressing my desire to participate in the flag hoisting and Tiranga March organised at the protest site, Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, a heavy police force has been deployed outside my room in Sadar Hospital. What kind of freedom is this, after all? Are we not even free to hoist the Tricolour and participate in the Tiranga March in our own country? Despite the difficult circumstances, I want to join this program in a peaceful manner,” Mahto posted on X.
Mahto is on the 14th day of his indefinite hunger strike, which he began on August 2.
