Jharkhand protesters set Aug 18 deadline, threaten to gherao CM

The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch has set a two-day ultimatum for the Jharkhand government to meet its demands. On the 23rd day of the agitation and the 13th day of his hunger strike, protester Prem Nayak said he did not think he would survive much longer, refusing hospital treatment and alleging the government was not serious. The Times Now report adds that student leader Ravindra Paswan declared, "We have had enough of Gandhian methods," and said protesters were prepared to face bullets, with an ultimatum set for August 18.

The group posted on X that they had tried Gandhi's path and would now become Bhagat Singh. They burnt effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi across all 24 districts on Sunday. The protesters have announced they will gherao (lay siege to) the Chief Minister's residence in Ranchi on August 20 if their demands are not met. Prem Nayak also suggested a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' (fill-the-jails movement) as an alternative.