As Students’ Hunger Strike Intensifies in Jharkhand, Questions Mount Over CJP’s Missing Role on the Ground

Ranchi, Jharkhand: A student-led hunger strike over delayed scholarships, overcrowded and poorly maintained hostels, and broader demands for improved educational infrastructure has intensified in Jharkhand, with protesters gathering outside the state education department headquarters on Thursday and accusing the administration of indifference.

Organized by a coalition of student unions from several government colleges across the state, the agitation initially centered on the non-disbursement of minority and post-matric scholarships for the current academic year. Participants say repeated appeals to district officials and the state government went unanswered, prompting the escalation to a hunger strike. Local volunteers monitoring the site reported that several students showing signs of weakness have been shifted to a nearby medical facility for observation. Medical teams have been deployed near the protest site, and police presence has been increased to maintain order.

While the students’ core grievances focus on scholarships and hostel conditions, the protest has drawn wider commentary on the political response. Opposition voices and independent observers have noted that other parties have sent representatives or issued statements of support. By contrast, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has remained largely invisible on the ground, prompting pointed questions from protesters and local activists. The party, which positioned itself as a champion of educational reforms at the national level, led violent protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, and demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister following a row over the NEET 2026 paper leaks, has not actively participated in the Jharkhand students’ protests or even in the students’ protests over paper leaks in Punjab--a stance now being scrutinized.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday declared support for protesting students in Jharkhand. Speaking to reporters ahead of a core team meeting in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, he said CJP members would travel to Jharkhand to stand with job aspirants staging an indefinite sit-in at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi since July 29. Those demonstrators are demanding an independent probe by retired High Court judges from outside the state into alleged irregularities in JPSC and other recruitment examinations.

“We will definitely go to Jharkhand, we will stand with them and support their every demand in the agitation,” Dipke said. He framed the CJP’s role as that of a “pressure group” aimed at restoring accountability in institutions in which public faith has eroded, including the judiciary, politics, media, and the Election Commission. Party members, meeting to chart a roadmap, reiterated that the group would continue operating in this capacity and support the students’ protests against alleged recruitment irregularities.

Despite these statements, student leaders involved in the hunger strike outside the education department have said they have yet to see any active CJP presence at their site. Students said that they have noted a gap between CJP's public assurances and visible engagement on the ground and want that to be bridged.

State education officials maintained that scholarship processing is underway and that a high-level meeting is scheduled to address hostel issues. They urged the students to call off the hunger strike, citing health risks.

As the standoff continues, the protest has gained traction on social media, with hashtags amplifying both the students’ demands and the perceived political vacuum. Student organizers have vowed to persist until concrete assurances are provided and have called on all political parties, and the CJP, to engage directly rather than remain on the sidelines.

With allegations that the CJP is selectively choosing its battles -- cherry-picking states in which to support student protests or address question-paper leaks based on the ruling party and the political support it received during the Jantar Mantar protests, rather than acting independently and consistently regardless of political affiliations -- it remains to be seen what support the organisation will extend to the protesting students in Jharkhand, who are equally victims of systemic failure. The question is whether the CJP can fulfil its commitment to supporting students and driving nationwide educational reform in a fair and impartial manner, free from political considerations.