Students from Pune, Nagpur and Nashik had launched the agitation on August 13 against changes in government tribal hostel rules. Their demands later broadened to cover hostel facilities and safety, tribal reservations, recruitment to vacant posts, appointments under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), caste validity certificates and compensation for the families of three tribal girls who died of snake bites at an ashram school in Gadchiroli.
