Tribal Students End 17-Day Hunger Strike After Maharashtra Govt Agrees to Demands
Tribal students called off their 17-day hunger strike late Saturday after the Maharashtra government agreed to their demands following a stern warning from the Bombay High Court. A delegation of protesting students met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai to finalise the agreement.
The widespread protests in Pune, Nagpur, and Nashik were sparked by the deaths of three tribal girls due to snakebites at a residential school in Gadchiroli district. The students demanded the recruitment of Scheduled Tribe candidates to vacant government posts and significant improvements to living conditions in tribal residential schools.
Earlier in the day, the Bombay High Court had intervened while hearing a petition highlighting the deteriorating health of a striking student in Pune district's Manjari area. Emphasising student safety, the court observed that it did not want a single child or student to die.
Following the court's intervention, Tribal Welfare Minister Ashok Uike announced that the government had issued a Government Resolution (GR) to establish a committee headed by the Tribal Development Commissioner in Nashik. The panel is tasked with investigating the causes of student deaths in government-aided ashram schools and recommending remedial measures. It must prepare a time-bound action plan within three months and submit an action-taken report.
Uike stated that the state will assess vacant cadres over the next three months and launch a recruitment drive for 12,500 vacancies within six months. The recruitment process under PESA is active for nine cadres, with six more to follow shortly. A separate committee will review the placement of ST candidates in the second position of the roster point system, with recommendations expected within three months.
The minister also confirmed that three tribal hostel wardens have been transferred following complaints. Furthermore, employees who fail to submit valid caste certificates within six months of appointment will face termination, and college students on reserved seats who do not provide caste validity certificates will have their degrees withheld.
Suraj Bande, who led the student delegation at Varsha, said that while some policy measures may take up to six months, students will follow up on every promise to ensure the government adheres to its commitments.
