Sonam Wangchuk said that he ended a 26-day hunger strike after "a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country". The activist, Sonam Wangchuk, said that he had broken his fast “after long negotiations” with officials and “in view of possible violence in the country.” Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike on Friday after talks with government ministers, but student-led protests over leaked medical entrance exam papers continued, with demonstrators demanding the education minister's resignation and wider reforms.
Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike on Friday over leaked medical school entrance exam papers that protesters say enabled cheating, but demonstrations demanding the education minister’s resignation were set to continue in the biggest youth-led challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Youth protesters, led by the self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, demand that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over the leaks that affected some 2... Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike after government assurances on student demands.
Prime Minister Modi announced a new bill to combat examination paper leaks. This proposed legislation includes fast-track courts and tougher punishments for offenders. The Union Cabinet will discuss the bill on Friday before Parliament next week.
The government aims to protect students' interests and make the examination system foolproof. India’s activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a hunger strike after 26 days of fasting in support of youth-led protesters demanding education reforms. In a post on X, Wangchuk – better known as “Sonam sir” – said he did so “after a long negotiation on various conditions” and also to avert “possible violence in the country”.
Wangchuk, 59, went on strike to support the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose members also demand the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The activist earlier said he had lost 11kg (24lb) but was “still alive”. He was forcibly removed from a protest venue in Delhi last Saturday and taken to hospital.
Wangchuk, a well-known name in India, ended his hunger strike after the government assured him no legal action would be taken against protesters rallying at Janta Mantar site, India’s NDTV website reported. India’s state and health ministers had visited Wangchuk in hospital. Reacting to Wangchuk’s decision to end his hunger strike, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote in a post on X: “We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days.” But he added: “The Cockroach Janta Party’s peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until [Education Minister] Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.” Mass protests have not stopped in the Indian capital, after the brutal police crackdown on Monday’s march to parliament, which left scores of protesters and officers injured.
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