Indian social activist and education reform advocate Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day hunger strike, which he had undertaken in support of students demanding reforms to the country’s education system.
Known to many as “Sonam Sir,” Wangchuk said in a post on X that he decided to end the fast following negotiations on several conditions and to help prevent further violence in the country.
According to reports, the 59-year-old activist had joined the student movement that emerged after the alleged leak of the NEET medical entrance examination paper. The protesters are demanding education reforms and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
During the hunger strike, Wangchuk said he had lost 11 kilograms. Last week, police removed him from the protest site in New Delhi and transferred him to a hospital.
According to Indian broadcaster NDTV, Wangchuk ended his fast after receiving assurances from the government that no legal action would be taken against protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar. India’s health minister and other government representatives also visited him in hospital.
Reacting to the decision, Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Deepke welcomed the move but said the party’s peaceful protest would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
Large-scale demonstrations continue in New Delhi, where recent clashes between protesters and police during a march toward Parliament left several people injured.
The Cockroach Janata Party movement began in May as a satirical online campaign against the alleged NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities before evolving into a broader youth-led protest movement.
