“If Centre assures no action against protesters..”: Wangchuk puts a rider to end fast

New Delhi: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Wednesday said he would end his indefinite hunger strike if the Centre assures him that no force would be used against the protesting students and no FIRs or other punitive action would be taken against them, asserting that even though he has lost around 11 kg during the fast, he wants to return to his work.

In a video message from Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital, Wangchuk, who appeared visibly frail, said, “I am still alive. This is the 25th day of my fast. I have lost around 11 kg of weight. I have lost muscles. But I am alright.”

“I want to start my work, but I request the government not to use force again on students and do not file any charges or FIRs. I need an assurance for that. If I get that assurance, I will break my fast today. If no assurance comes, I will be forced to continue it,” he added.

Wangchuk said he has decided to continue his fast after the police action on protesters during Monday’s “Chalo Sansad” march organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

“Because the attack was brutal, I decided to continue my fast. I want to appreciate all the students who received batons but did not attack, even though they were provoked and people were brought to do stone pelting,” he said.

He said several political leaders, including Union ministers and 65 MPs, have urged him to end his fast.

Earlier, in a letter addressed to Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, Wangchuk said they met him at the hospital on Tuesday night and assured him that the Centre would positively consider providing adequate compensation to the families of the students who have committed suicide following the NEET paper “leak” and holding a meaningful discussion in Parliament to ensure accountability for exam irregularities, including considering the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

He further sought an assurance that action would not be taken against the protesting students as one of the conditions for breaking his fast.

“Their only ‘offence’ has been to raise their voice for a fair and accountable education system,” Wangchuk said in the letter to the ministers.

Sharing the letter on X, he said, “An appeal to the government regarding breaking my fast…. Once the assurance from the government comes, I will also appeal to the peacefully protesting students to halt the movement for now and enter into dialogue with the government.”

Referring to the “Chalo Sansad” march, Wangchuk said it was peaceful despite atrocities and a disproportionate use of force by police.

He added that 65 MPs from different political parties have written to him, while several of them have met him personally and urged him to end his fast.

“They have all urged me to end my fast, reminding me that I still have much work to do in the service of our nation. I agree with them. I want to live.

“I want to return to my students, to education and to the work that has defined my life. But I cannot do so at the cost of the very young people for whom this movement began,” Wangchuk said.

He stressed that the future of a democracy depends “not on how it treats those who agree with it, but on how it treats its young citizens when they dare to speak with courage, hope and conviction”.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of opposition MPs, including Congress’s Vivek Tankha, CPI-M’s John Brittas and TMC’s Sagarika Ghose, met Wangchuk at the Medanta Hospital and appealed to him to end his fast.

In a letter, MPs from several opposition parties assured him that the issues of examination reforms and accountability in the education sector would be taken up in Parliament.

“The country, especially its youngsters, needs your wisdom and guidance far more than your sacrifice…. Just as the Union Territory of Ladakh needs Sonam Wangchuk, India needs you too, not in suffering, but in service,” the MPs wrote to Wangchuk, while assuring him that they would press the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government against any coercive action against the peaceful protesters.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, after he joined the CJP-led agitation demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, reforms in the education system and Pradhan’s resignation.

Wangchuk is currently admitted to the Medanta Hospital, after he was shifted from the Safdarjung Hospital following a Delhi High Court order.