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India news: Jharkhand student leader hospitalized after police use force

India news: Protesting Jharkhand student leader hospitalized

Shakeel Sobhan AP, AFP, ReutersPublished 08/11/2026Published August 11, 2026last updated 08/11/2026last updated August 11, 2026

Devendra Nath Mahto joined a march to the state Assembly despite being on a nine-day hunger strike. The CJP denounced the police use of tear gas, batons and water cannons against protesters as "inhuman." DW has more.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Ib4k
Students in Jharkhand are protesting the alleging irregularities in government recruitment examsImage: Yousuf Sarfaraz/AFP
AdvertisementSkip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

  • Protesting student leader Devendra Nath Mahto said his health deteriorated after police used batons to disperse protesters
  • CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke called police action 'cruel and inhuman'
  • Jharkhand unit of the BJP has called a statewide shutdown on Tuesday

Here's a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Tuesday, August 11: 

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Skip next section US court dismisses bribery and fraud charges against billionaire Adani08/11/2026August 11, 2026

US court dismisses bribery and fraud charges against billionaire Adani

In May, the US government will settle a lawsuit filed against Gautam Adani, one of the world's richest people, for hiding an alleged bribery scheme.Image: Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo/picture alliance

A US judge dismissed bribery and fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Monday after the Trump administration moved to drop the case.

Adani, a close ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's, was charged in 2024 with participating in a $265 million (€230 million) scheme to bribe Indian officials to secure solar energy contracts. 

His associates were also charged with attempting to obstruct the US investigations by destroying evidence. Adani has denied wrongdoing.

Brooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis criticized the US Justice Department's handling of the decision said the decision to dismiss the 2024 charges was unusual and raised concerns because prosecutors and investigators, including FBI and SEC agents involved in the case, were not consulted.

According to media reports Adani's attorney Robert Giuffra, who is also Donald Trump's personal lawyer, told Justice Department officials in April that if charges were dropped, the billionaire would invest $10 billion in the United States.

Garaufis said he believed that Adani's reported pledge to invest in the US did not influence the Justice Department's decision to drop the case.

In May, court documents showed that Gautam Adani agreed to pay civil penalties of $6 million, while his nephew Sagar Adani, another leader at Adani Green Energy, agreed to pay $12 million in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The proposed settlement doesn't include an admission of guilt.

Adani welcomed the ruling, saying his faith in "truth, fairness and the rule of law" remained unwavering.

https://p.dw.com/p/5IbTrSkip next section Jharkhand student leader Mahto hospitalized after police use force08/11/2026August 11, 2026

Jharkhand student leader Mahto hospitalized after police use force

The Jharkhand unit of the BJP accused the state government of using excessive force and called a statewide shutdown on TuesdayImage: Rajesh Kumar/AFP

Student protest leader Devendra Nath Mahto was admitted to a hospital in the eastern state of Jharkhand after taking part in a march to the state legislature on Monday while on a nine-day hunger strike.

Police used tear gas, batons and water cannons to disperse the crowd of students marching toward the state assembly on Monday in state capital Ranchi. 

The students are alleging irregularities in government recruitment exams.

Students are protesting alleged irregularities in the recruitment examsImage: Yousuf Sarfaraz/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance

Mahto said his health deteriorated after police used batons to disperse protesters outside the Legislative Assembly. 

"At present, my treatment continues under the supervision of doctors," he wrote on X.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke also alleged that Mahto was injured by police batons and was experiencing chest pain.

"Be it Jantar Mantar or Jharkhand, such police brutality against students is cruel and inhuman," Dipke wrote on X, alluding to the last month's student protests that forced India's education minister to resign.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Hemant Soren-led government of using excessive force, alleging hundreds of students were injured, and called a statewide shutdown on Tuesday.

Police officers holding batons and protective shields stand in position during a confrontation with studentsImage: Yousuf Sarfaraz/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance

Earlier on Sunday, the sixth round of talks between student protesters and the government failed to reach a breakthrough following which the protesters announced a march to the state Assembly.

Police personnel use batons to disperse demonstrators in RanchiImage: Yousuf Sarfaraz/AFP
https://p.dw.com/p/5IbPzSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/11/2026August 11, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Shakeel Sobhan | Rob Turner Editor

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bringing you the latest updates from across India. 

The student protests in Jharkhand are showing no signs of abating as leader Devendra Nath Mahto was admitted to a hospital after participating in a march to the state legislature while on a nine-day hunger strike. On Monday, police used tear gas, batons and water cannon to disperse thousands of youth protesters.

Meanwhile, a US court on Monday dismissed a case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the Trump administration decided to drop fraud and bribery allegations against him.

For all this and more, stay tuned to our blog.

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