Sonam Wangchuk announces indefinite hunger strike from Sunday at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar
New Delhi: Education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk has announced that he will join the ongoing protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar with an indefinite hunger strike from Sunday if the Indian government fails to respond to his demands concerning education reforms and Ladakh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Sonam Wangchuk in a video message recorded from what he described as the “Jantar Mantar of Geneva”, the designated protest site outside the United Nations office, said he had returned to assess whether the government had acted on the issues he had raised before leaving for Switzerland.
Standing with the United Nations office and the Broken Chair monument behind him, which he described as a symbol of the struggle for rights, Wangchuk said, “You may remember that I had said I would return from Switzerland, meet you and see whether our demands had been fulfilled.”
Repeating the appeal he made last Saturday, he said, “The government should take responsibility, whether it is your voice in the field of education or Ladakh’s voice on environment and culture. If no such responsibility is taken, I will sit on an indefinite fast with all of you at Jantar Mantar in the coming week.”
Wangchuk said that there was still no accountability on either of the two issues. “By the time Saturday ends, I will go on a fast from Sunday. If even one of these demands is accepted, I will not have to go on a fast. At least one issue should be resolved,” he said.
His announcement came as the indefinite protest led by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke over irregularities in the NEET examination continued at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The agitation is seeking Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The protesters have refused to vacate the site despite directions to leave.
