Indian activist ends 26-day hunger strike after government pledges
Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent Indian activist, ended his hunger strike after the government assured no legal action would be taken against protesters. The protest movement continues demanding the education minister's resignation.
Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day hunger strike after the government assured that no legal proceedings would be initiated against protesters gathered at the Jantar Mantar site, according to Indian media outlet NDTV.
Wangchuk was visited in hospital by the state's health minister and other officials. Reacting to the end of the strike, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), wrote on social media platform X that he was relieved and grateful for the decision. However, he added that the CJP's peaceful protests at Jantar Mantar would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
Mass protests in the Indian capital have not stopped after Monday's march to parliament was brutally suppressed by police, leaving dozens of protesters and officers injured. The CJP is now one of India's most visible youth movements and is seen as one of the biggest displays of dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which has been in power since 2014.
The movement emerged in May as an online satirical initiative to protest against paper leaks and other irregularities in India's top exams, gaining a massive following on social media. The protesters, who call themselves cockroaches, have been demonstrating for a month, with some members also going on hunger strike. They are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a key entrance exam for aspiring doctors was cancelled in early May due to a paper leak. They argue the minister must take moral responsibility and step down.
