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Wangchuk ends fast
Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his hunger strike after 26 days, saying he broke his fast on Thursday on his X account.
“Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day hunger strike demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over a series of examination paper leaks”
Wangchuk, 59, had been on a hunger strike since June 28 in solidarity with India’s youth-led Cockroach movement demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over a leaked medical exam papers scandal.
He said he finally broke his fast "Just now in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda & Dr. Jitendra Singh" and added that 65 members of parliament from different political parties had visited or urged him to break the fast.
The NDTV report placed the end of the fast at Gurugram's Medanta Hospital late on Thursday night, where Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh were present along with Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo.
Negotiations and protests
Wangchuk said he ended his hunger strike "after a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country" and urged people to stay vigilant about not allowing violence.
In a separate post on X, Wangchuk had framed the protests at Jantar Mantar as peaceful while blaming "antisocial elements" for provoking violence elsewhere, writing "While at Jantar Mantar the protests remain peaceful".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, promised more action in paper leak cases, and NDTV said his video message came soon after he said "The welfare and interest of the country's youth are the top priority of the government".
Al Jazeera reported that Wangchuk ended his fast after Modi’s video address on X and that the Cockroach Janta Party’s founder Abhijeet Dipke said he was "relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike" while also saying the protest would continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
What happens next
The end of Wangchuk’s fast came as Modi said the government would set up fast-track courts to ensure swift punishment for paper leaks, and the Delhi High Court designated Judge Anu Grover Baliga as Special Judge for criminal cases arising from paper leaks.
“The students are at top priority, educationally n security-wise, so they need not worry and have their parents worried for them”
The Hindu reported that the government gave written assurances that cases against students will be taken back if they are not violent and that it would consider compensation for NEET aspirants who took their lives.
Hindustan Times said Medanta stated Wangchuk was being treated by a multidisciplinary team of doctors and that "All treatment being administered to him is in accordance with his informed consent".
Even with the hunger strike ended, the Cockroach Janta Party’s position remained tied to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, with Al Jazeera quoting Dipke that the "peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns."
