Sonam Wangchuk Ends Hunger Strike After 26 Days: PM Modi’s Late-Night Message
Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike after the Central Government assured talks on his demands and announced measures to address the NEET paper leak issue.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has finally ended his 26-day hunger strike after receiving assurances from the Central Government. Several major developments took place in the last 12 hours before he ended his fast.
Late on Thursday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video message on social media. He said the NEET paper leak had caused great pain to millions of students and their families. He said the accused had been arrested, the results were declared quickly, and the government had prepared a draft law with strict punishments and fast-track courts to deal with paper leak cases.
Soon after, PM Modi posted on X, requesting Sonam Wangchuk to follow the doctors' advice, regain his health, and recover soon.
About one and a half hours later, Sonam Wangchuk ended his hunger strike at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.
According to reports, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a four-hour meeting with BJP President JP Nadda and Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh. After the meeting, Dr. Jitendra Singh spoke to Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, and assured her that the government would look into the issues raised by Wangchuk. He also requested her to convince Wangchuk to end his fast.
Later, JP Nadda and Dr. Jitendra Singh met Wangchuk at the hospital and handed him the government's assurance letter. They also said that the government would invite a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) delegation for talks to discuss their demands.
The government also assured that no cases would be filed against people who protested peacefully at Jantar Mantar or took part in the march to Parliament on 20 July. It also said it was considering compensation for the families of students who died after the NEET paper leak. However, the government did not respond to the demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
After ending his fast, Wangchuk said he had taken the decision after long discussions and because he wanted to avoid possible violence in the country. He added that he would soon share a detailed video explaining the conditions under which he ended his hunger strike.
Wangchuk also said he wished to return to Ladakh and meet students and supporters involved in the protest before leaving.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he was relieved and grateful that Wangchuk had ended his hunger strike. He thanked Wangchuk for his courage and sacrifice, saying his life was very valuable to the country.
