‘Will continue my fast’: Sonam Wangchuk condemns police brutality on CJP protesters in hand-written letter

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently admitted to Safdarjkung Hospital in Delhi, has refused to end his hunger strike. On Day 23, Wangchuk posted a handwritten letter where he informed that he will continue fasting until youth leaders are allowed to meet MPs at Parliament.

He urged the government and police to resolve the situation by allowing students to present their grievances before Parliament and expressed hope that accountability in the education system would be ensured.

Wangchuk expressed hope that the government would “fix accountability of the education minister before that".

“Seeing the brutality with which peacefully protesting youth are being dealt with, I have decided to continue my fast until the youth leaders are allowed to meet the Parliamentarians at the Sansad Bhawan or I am allowed to meet them here at the hospital,” Wangchuk wrote in a handwritten letter.

Wangchuk said he was “touched and moved by how the youth have held on to peace despite provocation" and appealed to both the government and the police to resolve the issue by simply allowing students to present their grievances before Parliament, either on Monday or the following day.

“Hopefully Govt will fix accountability of Edu minister before that,” he added.

Following Wangchuk's decision, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke told supporters at Jantar Mantar that the move was prompted by ‘police brutality’. “Sonam sir had said if the country’s youth comes to Jantar Mantar, he will break his fast. But because of police brutality, he will continue his fast,” Dipke said.

Wangchuk's statement came hours after Union Minister JP Nadda met CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka in Delhi. During the meeting, the CJP representatives submitted a list of demands to the government, including fixing accountability for irregularities in national competitive examinations, including the NEET-UG.

Outfit's chief spokesperson Saurav Das claimed that Nadda has assured them that no further “crackdown” will take place at Jantar Mantar.

What are the CJP's demands?

The CJP says its protest is centred on concerns over the country's education system. The group is demanding sweeping reforms, stricter accountability for examination paper leaks, and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"We met JP Nadda twice. During the meeting, we stated our three demands. First, that Sonam Wangchuk be released immediately... Second, we demand that Dharmendra Pradhan must resign; he should either be dismissed from the Cabinet or resign voluntarily. The protest will continue until his resignation is secured. Third, we demand compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of the NEET aspirants, more than 20 of whom have lost their lives. We approached JP Nadda regarding these demands," Das told ANI.