Prayagraj: TGT-PGT aspirants cross 90 hours on hunger strike

At Patthar Girjaghar in Civil Lines, Prayagraj, five teaching aspirants have crossed 90 hours without food or water, as an indefinite sit-in organized under the banner of Yuva Manch reached its tenth day on Wednesday. The protesters are demanding immediate advertisements for more than 20,000 vacant Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) and Post Graduate Teacher (PGT) posts across Uttar Pradesh, alongside the revocation of newly framed recruitment guidelines and examination patterns set to take effect on September 16.

Wednesday evening saw hundreds of candidates stage a candlelight demonstration at the dharna site, holding banners and placards against the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) and the state administration. Health conditions of the five hunger-strikers — identified in local media reports as Meena Devi, Shimla Patel, Saroj, Praveen Kumar, and Abhishek Kumar — have sharply deteriorated, with medical checks and local reporting noting rapid weight loss of up to 13 kilograms among participants.

The core dispute stems from a four-year bottleneck. The Uttar Pradesh government originally initiated a recruitment drive for aided secondary and inter colleges in 2022, but the process remained stalled through administrative reshuffles and commission mergers. In August and September 2026, anger flared when the newly constituted commission signaled a complete overhaul of the examination syllabus and pattern barely two to three months before anticipated testing dates, alongside a contentious new requirement mandating a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree for PGT posts — a mandate that aspirants argue unilaterally locks out thousands of postgraduates who prepared for years under longstanding eligibility criteria.

While district administrative officials visited the protest site on Wednesday to initiate dialogue and assess the medical state of the fasting candidates, no written resolution or formal withdrawal of the September 16 framework has been issued. Demonstrators have warned that the agitation will intensify across the state unless Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's administration provides a binding, time-bound commitment in writing.

What we can verify

• Fast-unto-death surpasses 90 hours: Five candidates (Meena Devi, Shimla Patel, Saroj, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Kumar) have refused food and water for over 90 hours, with the broader sit-in at Patthar Girjaghar in Prayagraj entering its tenth consecutive day on Wednesday, September 9. — Amar Ujala, News Pinch
• Candlelight march held: Demonstrators organized a candle protest at the Civil Lines site on Wednesday evening, joined by student delegations and local teacher representatives. — Amar Ujala
• Four primary demands: The Yuva Manch charter demands: (1) scrapping the proposed September 16 recruitment rules and revised exam pattern; (2) conducting the 2026 recruitment under the previous transparent format; (3) revoking the mandatory B.Ed requirement for PGT applicants; and (4) issuing advertisements for more than 20,000 vacant secondary school teaching posts accumulated since 2022. — News Pinch, Aaj Tak
• Health toll reported: Fasting candidates have suffered severe dehydration and significant weight loss (up to 13 kg reported by Hindi dailies), prompting visits by local administrative officers to the dharna ground. — News Pinch, Aaj Tak

What remains unverified

• Official response timetable: Whether UPESSC or the Uttar Pradesh Department of Secondary Education will concede to reverting to the pre-2026 exam pattern before September 16 remains unconfirmed; no formal circular has been published. — [unverified]
• Hospitalization decisions: While administration and medical teams have inspected the fasting candidates, no formal order for compulsory hospitalization has been officially recorded as of Wednesday night. — [unverified]