- Sonam Wangchuk will continue his fast until youth meet MPs or visit him in hospital
- His wife shared a handwritten note by him expressing support for Cockroach Janta Party protesters
- Wangchuk asked the government to ensure accountability and allow students to present grievances in parliament
Activist Sonam Wangchuk announced today he would continue his fast until youth leaders are allowed to meet MPs in parliament or they come to the hospital in Delhi where he is admitted.
Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, shared on social media a handwritten message from her husband that offered solidarity to the protesters under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical political group that has been demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak.
"I will continue my fast (day 23). Seeing the brutality with which peacefully protesting youth are being dealt with, I have decided to continue my fast until the youth leaders are allowed to meet the Parliamentarians at the Sansad Bhawan or I am allowed to meet them here at the hospital," Wangchuk said in the note which also has his signature.
"Hopefully the government will fix the accountability of the education minister before that. I am touched and moved by how the youth have held on to peace despite provocation and I appeal to the government and the police to resolve the issue by simply allowing the students to present their grievances before parliament today or tomorrow," the activist from Ladakh said, adding that he hopes the protesters "will show the same patience and tolerance tomorrow as they did today."
Wangchuk's message came hours after Union minister JP Nadda and CJP members, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, held a meeting today amid the protest in central Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The CJP members gave the government a list of demands including accountability for the NEET-UG paper leak.
The CJP, which appeared first on social media as a work of political satire, was set up by Abhijeet Dipke, a public relations graduate from Boston University. He has worked for the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) social media team.
The Delhi Police have asked the public to guard against misinformation on social media.
Earlier today, the Delhi High Court sought complete medical records of Wangchuk while hearing an appeal filed by his wife, challenging a single judge's refusal to allow his discharge from Safdarjung Hospital and transfer to Medanta Hospital.
A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said that pathology reports alone cannot determine a patient's condition and that they must always be read along with the patient's clinical condition.
The Bench directed Safdarjung Hospital to file an affidavit placing on record all pathology reports prepared by it, AIIMS and the private laboratory, along with all health bulletins issued regarding Wangchuk's health.
