- Sonam Wangchuk is on his 19th day of fasting
- He ruled out ending the strike, saying doing so without a government response would send the "wrong message"
- "Even if I eat, what will change and what message will go?" he said
Activist Sonam Wangchuk - now in his 19th day of fasting after joining Cockroach Janta Party protests - shared an Instagram video late Wednesday, in which he allayed fears over his health and urged those concerned to join the movement instead. He also ruled out ending the strike, saying doing so without a government response would send the "wrong message".
"I have received thousands of messages… asking me to break my fast. Many senior politicians have come… some angrily. And some have appealed to the court…" he said. "But there are two things. First, even if I eat, what will change and what message will go? The message will go to the government that there is no need to answer (to the protesters)."
The 59-year-old - who also went on a hunger strike in September to push for statehood for Ladakh, though that planned 35-day fast was cut short after two weeks due to violent protests - said tests show his health is "quite normal for an 18-day fast".
"It is not bad… So that is why I can walk for many days now. Yes, there is weakness… my muscles are getting tired… but my heart and core are still fine. So instead of just saying 'break the fast', I would request you take a small step. Come in large numbers on July 20 (the day of the CJP protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar) … so a message goes to the government."
"All of us together will hand over this issue to the MPs," he appealed, calling on school and college students to join.
Wangchuk's message followed a Delhi High Court plea stating the activist may not survive the next 48 hours unless he breaks his fast. The plea said the "state is least concerned and insensitive", and sought directions to force-feed the activist, who is demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
The CJP, led by Abhijeet Dipke, is a growing movement demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over multiple question paper leaks for competitive exams, including leaks in the May 3 NEET-UG paper.
Hours after his Instagram message, the Delhi High Court ordered the central government to "do whatever it takes to save" Wangchuk. "... the life of any citizen is precious… and all efforts ought to be made by authorities to save the same."
