India ‘cockroach’ activist Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike as protests spread | India

Indian “cockroach” activist Sonam Wangchuk ended her 26-day hunger strike over the exam paper scandal, which turned into a wave of widespread youth-led demonstrations against the Narendra Modi government.

Meanwhile, supporters called for a nationwide day of protest on Friday.

Wangchuk shared that he ended his hunger strike in Delhi in the presence of two of Modi’s senior ministers after receiving assurances that his conditions would be met by the government.

In a video shot from his hospital bed, Wangchuk said he was promised that the issue of accountability for the failed exam system would be discussed in India’s parliament.

The government also assured him that adequate compensation would be given to the families of those who committed suicide following the leak of a crucial exam paper and that no case would be filed against students and youth who participated in mass protests in Delhi on Monday.

After 26 days without food, Wanghuck looked weak but was in high spirits. Hunger strikes have long been a powerful tool of protest in India and were used repeatedly by Mahatma Gandhi in the fight for India’s independence. Gandhi’s longest hunger strike lasted 21 days.

After Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, Modi urged the activist to follow doctors’ advice and regain the weight he had lost.

Protests under the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) movement have called for nationwide protests in solidarity with students who allege police brutality during a march by tens of thousands to parliament on Monday, even as the Modi government urged them to join the talks.

CJP organizers said they expected a large turnout across the country on Friday. Youth protests have already emerged in Bengalaru, Ranchi, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata this week. Hundreds of students were detained by police in Mumbai.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Wangchuk for his “courage and sacrifice” and said the protests would continue until education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, which is the movement’s core demand. “We will not let Sonam sir’s sacrifice go in vain,” Dipke added.

The CJP movement is demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the leak of examination papers in May, which affected two million students and was linked to several suicides.

Late on Tuesday, Pradhan, in his first comments since demands for resignation came in, said the government was committed to addressing concerns and reforming the exams.

The protests have drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets and represent the biggest challenge youth have faced since Modi came to power in 2014. ‌Opposition parties reiterated the demands of the youth movement and disrupted the monsoon session of parliament, which started this week.

Thousands of people remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Thursday afternoon, carrying anti-government posters and chanting slogans amid heavy security.

Authorities in Delhi on Thursday closed 16 metro train stations in and around central Delhi where protesters were camping, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.

The government also ordered telecom companies to block mobile internet services in the region, sources told Reuters; This not only affected protesters, but also stopped shops and restaurants from taking digital payments over the phone.

The measures are seen by human rights groups as an attempt by authorities to suppress protests and prevent new violence.

On Thursday, Modi said special courts would be set up to try those behind exam paper leaks, in his first public response to the crisis. “Nothing is more important than the well-being and future of our young people!” Modi shared.

However, the HSK rejected the proposal, saying that what the courts did after the document leak was only one aspect of the problem. “But Modi-ji, tell us why there is paper leakage in this country?” said CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka.

“Fast-track courts are being set up in this country for all other matters, but whether these fast-track courts have actually solved these problems; you know the answer to that question, and so do we.”

Later in the day, Modi said on social media that the government would announce stricter measures against paper leaks at the cabinet meeting on Friday.

After top Bollywood stars came under fire for remaining silent on youth protests, some of India’s biggest actors, including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor, took out a social media post saying it was encouraging to see students coming together to fight for a cause.