Wangchuk Denies Deal with Centre, Says Ended Fast Fearing Crackdown

He clarified that he did not demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during the negotiations because his priority was to prevent any legal action against the protesters.

He also rejected claims that he had reached an agreement with the government.

“Towards midnight last night, I was told that the ministers had agreed to give the assurance in writing. I was in a hurry because this was the situation in Delhi; there was concern that there might be a huge pressure.

“I was watching the reports and remembered when police and CRPF personnel brutally opened fire on youths in Ladakh on September 24, 2025. I feared that something similar might happen here too. I felt that maybe the situation could diffuse if I ended my fast and appealed for peace,” he said.

Responding to criticism about ending his fast in the presence of Union ministers, Wangchuk said those who questioned his decision were unaware of the conditions he faced after being removed from the protest site.

“If I had to make a deal, would I starve for 26 days? Couldn’t I make a deal sitting in an air-conditioned room instead of fasting in the heat of Delhi?” he asked.

He claimed that after he was taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, he was treated “like a prisoner”, was denied free movement, was prevented from meeting visitors and was not allowed to have a mobile phone or laptop.

“It was like being in North Korea,” he said, adding that he was allegedly prevented from leaving Safdarjung Hospital for several hours even after the Delhi High Court allowed him to go to Medanta Hospital.

Wangchuk said his key concern throughout the negotiations with Union ministers was to ensure that students participating in the agitation did not face violence or legal action.

He said this was the reason why he did not insist on Pradhan’s resignation during the talks and expressed confidence that the demand would eventually be realized through the movement.

“My focus was on ensuring that students did not suffer. My main concern was legal action and FIRs. I did not feel it was necessary for me personally to ensure the resignation of the minister,” he said.

According to Wangchuk, Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him at Medanta Hospital and agreed to positively consider compensation to families of students who died by suicide following the alleged leak of NEET papers; Besides this, he organized a debate in Parliament on accountability and reforms in the examination system.

But he said ministers were initially unwilling to give a written assurance that no charges would be brought against peaceful protesters.

“Initially, they agreed to compensation and meeting in Parliament, but they were not ready to give assurance that no case would be filed against the protesting students. They gave only verbal assurance. I insisted on written assurance and did not give up until they agreed,” he said.

Wangchuk also claimed that he had hoped to end his fast in the presence of MPs, Cockroach Janta Party members and Ladakh representatives but many of them were not allowed to meet him before the ministers arrived late at night.

“The biggest sadness I felt was that my colleagues, my students and the MPs who came to support me were not there when I finished my fast,” he said.

Wangchuk ended his hunger strike shortly after midnight on Thursday after he gave a written assurance that the Center was positive about not registering cases against peaceful protesters, would hold a detailed discussion in Parliament on examination reforms and paper leaks, and would positively consider compensation to families of students who died by suicide following the alleged NEET paper leak.

He had been on an indefinite fast since June 28 after joining the agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive exams, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.