View this post on Instagram "I will be on hunger strike until all our demands are met, even if this white sheet becomes my coffin, so be it."Devendra Nath Mahto lies on the grounds of Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, now on his 7th day of hunger strike in protest against the alleged irregularities and fraud in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). Mahto, who has only drank water once on the insistence of Sonam Wangchuk, has continued his hunger strike despite chest pain and advice from doctors to be hospitalised. As the protest in Jharkhand gains momentum, fueled by the ongoing CID investigations which have led to 19 arrests so far, Mahto continues to lead the agitation at the site. He is also observing the death anniversary of his mentor, Nirmal Mahto, carrying a photograph of him as he continues his hunger strike. View this post on Instagram United by Cause, Divided by LeadershipHowever, Mahto's hunger strike is not the only protest taking place at the stadium.Over the past several days, protests at the stadium in Ranchi have been led primarily by two different camps, one led by Mahto and the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM), and the other by students and aspirants who have united under the name JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch. The students who have founded the Reform Manch claim that they were the first to call for a united students' protest, and say they had mutually agreed with the JLKM that no political party or outfit would become the face or lead the agitation. However, disagreements in tactics and leadership boiled over and led to the two camps agitating separately at the same grounds. The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch claims that the JLKM had plans to take over the movement for their political gain, while the JLKM insist that the Reform Manch's camp had "vested interests" that might benefit the BJP.With the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch were four protester's also on hunger strike, although on 7th August, one protester, Rahul Kranti, had to be hospitalised after his health deteriorated during the fast. View this post on Instagram These two camps, however, are not the only actors at the protest site. Student bodies such as the All India Students' Association (AISA), the All India Students' Federation (AISF), the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), although none have been allowed to take the lead or claim ownership of the protest.AISA, led by its president Neha Bora, also led a planned march to the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on 7th August, where Bora was had ink thrown at her, alleged by AISA to be a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The march was not supported by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, which described it as a politicised programme, and instead called for protesters to follow the Manch's planned programme for the assembly march on 10th August.While AISA has extended its support to the 10th August agitation, it has disputed the Reform Manch's claim to be an apolitical platform. The student organisation has alleged that the Manch has links to the “Sanghi ecosystem.”'Want Reforms Now': The Ranchi Student Activist Who Refuses to End Hunger Strike'How Long Do I Tell My Mother I'm Jobless?': A Generation Wronged in JharkhandProtest Continues Despite TalksEven as disagreements between the bodies remains, their demands remain largely similar; an indepent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the allegations of irrgularities in the examinations, cancellation of several examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), and reforms into the conduct of these examinations.The Jharkhand Government has held multiple talks with various bodies involved in the protests, including the JLKM, the NSUI and the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch. The Manch has accused the government of politicising the issue by meeting with members of the NSUI, who they claim had no role in the protests. Speaking to The Quint, Mahto called these talks by the Jharkhand government "damage control"The Manch claims that the government in talks agreed for the cancellation of three examinations, however the other demands, including the key demand for the CBI-led investigation remains unfulifled. While the governemt has offered to set up a panel under a retired High Court judge to lead investigations into the irregularities, protesters have decided to continue with the planned march to the assembly on the 10th August.Jharkhand Government Concludes Talks With Students, Soren Assures Justice