M I Khan reports from Patna: Nearly 50 inmates of the Ara jail in Bihar on Monday began the hunger strike to protest the arrest of Jawaharlal Nehru University Student's Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and demanded his release, officials said.

The inmates on hunger strike are considered to be Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist sympathizers.

According to reports, the inmates have threatened to continue with their fast if Kanhaiya was not released soon.