Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike Enters Eighth Day Amid CJP Protest

Open Letter Urges PM To Address Exam Issues

On Saturday, the CJP had sent a two-page open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that he break his resounding silence on the alleged examination irregularities and sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

“We have been sitting in protest at the Jantar Mantar for the past 15 days, and today marks the seventh day of educationist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike. How long will your government choose to ignore our voices, sir?" the letter said.

“A hunger strike in a civil society is meant to bring moral pressure upon the powers that be. The underlying principle is simple: when someone like Sonam Wangchuk, a man who has dedicated his entire life, mind and soul to this country and to the cause of education, refuses to consume food, it is supposed to elicit a conscious response, whether moral or political, from the government of the day," it added.

Sonam Wangchuk Loses 6 kg During Fast

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk had also reached the eighth day of his indefinite hunger strike, losing about 6 kg. According to a medical bulletin released by doctors, Wangchuk had his resting blood pressure recorded as 112/70 mm Hg, his resting heart rate as 72 beats per minute, his resting blood sugar as 67 mg/dL. 

The bulletin stated that while his hydration status was fair, and he was mentally alert, his weight had decreased to 60.95 kg from around 66 kg in seven days, a loss of about 6 kg.

Parents Of NEET Aspirant Visit CJP Protest Site

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the parents of NEET aspirant Riya Kumari Thapa who the organization alleges died after the paper leak shattered her dreams visited the demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. 

Dipke wrote in a post that the parents were joined by Thapa’s father, who is an army veteran and urged that no other family should experience the loss that his family had, and appealed to the government that such an incident never happen again.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha To Send Delegation

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), who had earlier extended its support to the CJP protest, would now send a delegation to the Jantar Mantar on July 7. The farmers' organisation had stated in its earlier letter to the CJP that the delegation would visit the demonstration site.

The SKM had expressed solidarity with the student community protesting and said that every student deserves to be a part of a fair and credible education examination system.