Sonam Wangchuk Says Will End Fast If Centre Spares Students From Legal Action

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has said he would end his hunger strike if the government assured him that no legal action would be taken against the young protesters demanding accountability over the NEET paper leak. In absence of such an assurance, he stressed he would be forced to continue his fast indefinitely.

"I respectfully request an unequivocal assurance from the government that none of the young protesters will face any punitive or retaliatory legal action for participating in the movement," he said in a letter to Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

Wangchuk further said the protesters were only raising their voices for a fair and accountable education system.

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The 59-year-old activist was removed by the police from the Jantar Mantar protest site on Saturday after three weeks of hunger strike as part of the satirical political movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest against Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. But he refused to end his fast.

He remains on a hunger strike for Day 25 at the private Medanta hospital in Gurugram.

In his letter to the government, he also thanked Nadda and Singh for visiting him at Medanta last night.

During their visit, he noted, the ministers assured him that the government would consider providing adequate compensation to the families of the NEET aspirants who had died by suicide after the leak and discussing the paper leak issue in Parliament to ensure accountability. This included consideration of the demand for Pradhan's resignation, he pointed out.

The activist further stressed that Monday's march to Parliament was "very peaceful" despite alleged police excesses. 

Wangchuk said that about 65 parliamentarians have urged him to end his fast over the last few hours, and he himself wanted to return to his field of education. But that was not possible at the cost of the young people at the centre of this movement, he stressed, while calling for an assurance that no action would be taken against them.  

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"If such an assurance is given, I shall end my fast with faith that the government has heard not only my appeal but also the aspirations of lakhs of young Indians," he added, hoping that the police will not use any more force to repress the movement.

Wangchuk had been on hunger strike since June 28, seeking government accountability over the paper leaks. Two days ago, he was shifted to Medanta from Safdarjung over allegations of negligence.

He has earlier championed Ladakh's statehood cause and was detained for nearly six months last year after a protest turned violent and left four dead in Leh.