Sonam Wangchuk says he will end hunger strike today, but 3 conditions apply
NEW DELHI, JULY 20 : In another note from his hospital bed, Sonam Wangchuk has outlined three circumstances under which he says he is willing to end his prolonged hunger strike. The activist says he will call off the fast if the central government “takes accountability” for the recent failures in the education system, particularly the alleged examination paper leaks.
Failing that, he says he and the leadership of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) should be allowed to reach Parliament to present their demands directly to MPs and leaders of various parties.
“If I & the leadership of CJP reach the doorsteps of Parliament where Hon’ble MPs & Leaders of various parties assure us that they will now take up the issue in the Parliament,” he said in the message, which he addressed to his supporters.
Listing the third scenario where he would consider breaking his fast, Wangchuk wrote, “If my health or other factors do not permit this then the Hon’ble MPs & leaders of different parties visit this Hospital and give the above assurance.”
The note was posted on the 59-year-old’s X handle on Monday, July 20, the date of the CJP’s planned march to Parliament. He said he would break the indefinite fast that day itself if any of the three demands were met.
The upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament is also set to begin on Monday. Wangchuk continued to refer to his hospitalisation at New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital as an “illegal detention.”
He signed off the note by writing: “From the illegal detention at Safdarjung Hospital, where my freedom of movement, speech, and all communication are RESTRICTED.”
SECURITY STEPPED UP IN DELHI
Delhi Police is on high alert ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament and the CJP’s proposed “Chalo Sansad” march, with heavy deployment of personnel visible at every nook and corner around Jantar Mantar, Parliament and other key locations.
Authorities have also imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS in the New Delhi district.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Sharma shared a public advisory on X on Sunday, stating that “Delhi Police categorically clarifies that no permission has been sought or granted for any such protest march/procession.”
Wangchuk’s hunger strike and CJP’s broader agitation are centred around one key demand: the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET examination irregularities.
In an earlier message conveyed through his wife, Gitanjali Angmo, from the Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuk had urged supporters on Sunday to make CJP’s planned march a success.
He was forcibly taken to Safdarjung Hospital by the Delhi Police on Saturday, July 18, the 21st day of his hunger strike.
-PTI
