{"id":669258,"date":"2026-11-10T02:16:59","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T06:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/669258\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T02:16:59","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T06:16:59","slug":"lpst-rank-holders-protest-enters-128th-day-valarmathis-hunger-strike-crosses-16-days-police-serve-notice-to-remove-protest-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/669258\/","title":{"rendered":"LPST Rank Holders\u2019 Protest Enters 128th Day; Valarmathi\u2019s Hunger Strike Crosses 16 Days; Police Serve Notice to Remove Protest Site"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"LPST<\/figure>\n

Thiruvananthapuram: The indefinite strike being held by the LPST (Lower Primary School Teacher) rank holders in front of the Secretariat, demanding various issues related to recruitment, has entered its 128th day. In the absence of a government decision in their favor, the candidates have resolved to intensify the protest further. The hunger strike started by strike committee convener S. Valarmathi has crossed 16 days, but the protesters allege that no steps have been taken toward resolving the issue. The candidates have taken a firm stand that they will not back down from the protest until their legitimate demands are accepted. Valarmathi, who continues the hunger strike, has also clearly stated she will not take any medical treatment. She further warned that if authorities attempt to forcibly move her to a hospital on health grounds, they will strongly resist such measures.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s unwillingness to engage in talks or take steps to resolve the matter despite the prolonged protest and hunger strike has caused strong resentment among the candidates. Meanwhile, allegations have also surfaced that the police are preparing to take action to drive the protesters away. Cantonment police recently issued a notice to the candidates demanding removal of the protest tent erected in front of the Secretariat. The notice instructed removal of the tent, foldable banners set up as part of the satyagraha, microphone sets, and other protest materials. It further warned that failure to comply may lead to legal action against protesters, including S. Valarmathi, who hails from Elappulli, Palakkad district and serves as secretary of the strike committee. The strike committee alleges that such actions against peacefully protesting candidates are attempts to suppress the protest. However, the candidates have stated that even if the police dismantle the protest site, they will not end their protest.<\/p>\n

The central demand of the protesters is the implementation of a 1:25 appointment ratio in the LPST recruitments. They urge the government to take immediate action to guarantee employment opportunities for thousands of candidates who have been included in the rank list but have been awaiting appointment for years. The strike committee claims that the government is refusing to implement the 1:25 ratio. The candidates state that at the time of initiating the strike, the government had requested 45 days to study the issue in detail and take a decision. Though the government\u2019s assurance raised hopes for a resolution, no positive steps were taken within the stipulated timeframe, prompting the candidates to mount stronger protests.<\/p>\n

The candidates accuse the government of continuing to disregard their repeated demands. As part of intensifying the protest, Valarmathi began the hunger strike after shaving her head. This act symbolized the protest against not receiving appointments despite writing the exams for years and securing ranks on the list. Valarmathi is a candidate who has taken the LPST exam three times and secured a place on the rank list. In her last exam, she performed well and secured the 168th rank in Palakkad district. However, she points out that merely securing a position on the rank list does not guarantee employment in the current situation.<\/p>\n

The strike committee states that even the candidate ranked first on the list published on May 31, 2025, has not been appointed. They say only 239 candidates have been appointed statewide so far. Approximately 11,000 candidates are included in the state\u2019s LPST rank lists. The fact that only a very few receive appointments while a large number wait has created uncertainty over the futures of many candidates. Those who have spent years preparing and taking exams are concerned that they might lose other job opportunities due to reasons including age limits. The strike committee demands that appointments be made to the maximum extent possible before the expiry of the rank list.<\/p>\n

The candidates\u2019 stance is that the absence of a favorable decision even after 128 days of protest raises serious questions about the government\u2019s approach. Despite police actions aimed at dismantling the protest site, the candidates have decided to continue their protests. They have declared they will not withdraw from the protest in front of the Secretariat until the government takes a clear decision regarding their recruitment-related demands.<\/p>\n

n<\/p>\n

Original Malayalam report: Malayalam Daily News<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thiruvananthapuram: The indefinite strike being held by the LPST (Lower Primary School Teacher) rank holders in front of the Secretariat, demanding various issues related to recruitment, has entered its 128th day. In the absence of a government decision in their favor, the candidates have resolved to intensify the protest further. The hunger strike started by strike committee convener S. Valarmathi has crossed 16 days, but the protesters allege that no steps have been taken toward resolving the issue. The candidates have taken a firm stand that they will not back…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":669259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[582,170398,47748],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-669258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-kerala","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}