In India, an activist is on his 17th day of a hunger strike over a leak of exam questions – Reuters

Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known 59-year-old Indian civil rights activist, is now on his 17th day of a hunger strike in central New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest was sparked by the leak of exam materials in May, which affected millions of students and has become one of the few open challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The activist’s health has deteriorated significantly. A post by the CJP party on social media platform X states that as of Tuesday, he had lost 8.5 kg. While speaking with journalists, Wangchuk was no longer able to comment and could only gesture to indicate that he was too weak. 

Despite this, and despite calls from his allies and opposition figures to end the protest, the protester refuses to stop his hunger strike and urges others to continue preparations for the march to parliament, scheduled for July 20. He had previously stated that he was prepared to continue the protest for up to six weeks, unless he died sooner.

Wangchuk is staging his protest in solidarity with 30-year-old Abhijit Dipke, the founder of the youth party Cockroach Janta Party (“Cockroach People’s Party”). Dipke founded the party in May, and within a few days it had gained 22 million followers on Instagram.

The day before, one of the young protesters, who was also on a hunger strike near the parliament, lost consciousness and was hospitalized. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Indian Ministry of Education, and the government’s chief spokesperson have not yet commented on the situation.

As the activist’s condition worsened, several influential opposition politicians reached out to him. In particular, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Achilesh Yadav wrote on social media platform X: “His life is priceless to the whole world, as it embodies a dedication to humanity and the environment, as well as to democracy.”

Source: Reuters