The social activist and education system reformer Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day-long hunger strike, much to the joy of his supporters all over the nation. However, the protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi will continue as per the demands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has demanded the resignation of Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, citing allegations of NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
Wangchuk decided to end his hunger strike on Thursday night in Medanta Hospital in Gurugram following intense talks with the central government. Union ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh were present during the time Wangchuk ended his hunger strike. This came after the assurances made by the government in many fields such as examinations reforms, actions against paper leaks and security of protesters. Wangchuk also asked his supporters to remain peaceful and not indulge in violence, as he will soon explain the agreement reached between him and the government.
Even with the termination of his hunger strike, Wangchuk’s effort was affirmed by the Founder of CJP, Abhijeet Dipke, to state that their struggle was far from over. While thanking Wangchuk for his “extraordinary sacrifice,” Dipke emphasized that the peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will go on until the Education Minister, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, resigns. For CJP, the need for accountability for the purported examination papers leakages cannot be overstated and thus demands reforms in the education sector.
From their struggle against alleged examination paper leakages, protesters have taken their struggle to all corners of India demanding transparency, accountability, and justice for the victims. Among their demands include compensation to families of the victims of suicide allegedly committed by NEET-UG exam paper leakage, as well as the withdrawal of legal suits instituted against peaceful protesters.
However, the Centre has said that it is working on drafting stringent laws against cheating during examinations, and this includes fast-track courts for cases of leaking papers. The assurance from the government made Wangchuk end his hunger strike, but protest organizers say that genuine reforms and accountability of ministers are needed before calling off the agitation. As the talks between the government and the organizers of the protest move forward, Jantar Mantar continues to be at the center of one of the biggest protests in the country in recent times led by the youth.
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