Woken from sleep to witness Wangchuk end fast, says Ladakh leader

After being denied access to activist Sonam Wangchuk for two days, a civil society group from Ladakh “woke up from sleep” on Thursday night (July 23) and immediately rushed to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram to witness Mr Wangchuk breaking his 26-day hunger strike.

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Even as metro stations remained closed and the internet was also shut down, thousands of people continued to throng Jantar Mantar, where members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) sat on a dharna to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while the Union Government worked through the night to find a way out of the mob formation that showed no signs of abating.

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With Delhi University colleges reopening on July 28 and the weekend approaching, the government has stepped up communication channels with the CJP team and Mr Wangchuk to ensure that the protest is brought to an end before a major incident occurs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a selfie-mode video on Instagram at 11.52 pm on Thursday, assuring students that many steps are on the anvil to counter paper leaks and reforms in the education system. While releasing the video, Mr. Wangchuk simultaneously ended his hunger strike in the presence of his wife Gitanjali J. Angmo, Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh and members of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). LAB and KDA are in talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide constitutional protection for Ladakh, which became a Union Territory in 2019.

Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, one of the meeting partners of LAB who was present at the hospital, said: Hindu“Although we set out from Ladakh to meet Mr. Wangchuk on July 21, the authorities never allowed us to see him. We were kept waiting for hours. On Thursday, we were woken up at around 11 pm by a call from Mr. Wangchuk, who asked us to come to Medanta. He said that the ministers were about to arrive and that he wanted the LAB and KDA members to be present.”

He said Mr Wangchuk ended his fast around 12.30pm on Friday and the Ministers arrived 15 minutes after them.

“Mr. Wangchuk told us that he wants to focus on Ladakh-related work from now on and will go to Kargil first and then to Leh. We avoid any political activity in Leh as the Dalai Lama is staying here,” Mr. Lakruk said. He said Mr Wangchuk had provided a written assurance, signed by both Ministers and himself, before ending his fast. “The document states that the government will withdraw all police cases against students and protesters unless they are of a violent nature,” he said.

Mr Wangchuk released a video message saying that the government had also assured that families of suicide victims in the recently leaked NEET exam paper would be given adequate compensation and that there would be no cases registered against students and youth protesting peacefully.