PTI
New Delhi
Activist Sonam Wangchuk is suffering muscle loss and is in “immense pain” but has refused to end his hunger strike as various sections on Tuesday appealed to him to call off his 17-day fast and urged the government to initiate dialogue. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past 25 days over the NEET issue, unveiled a five-point examination reform charter and claimed that support for its agitation was growing across political parties.
As Wangchuk’s health continued to deteriorate, several leaders like Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal among others requested the activist to end his fast.
Veteran actor Zeenat Aman appealed to the government to open a dialogue with Wangchuk, saying India should not “sit back and watch one of its greatest minds be sacrificed”.
Another member from the cinema world, ‘3 Idiots’ actor Omi Vaidya (who essayed the role of Chatur ‘Silencer’ Ramalingam) urged people to pay attention to the deteriorating health of Wangchuk, saying he does not want the activist to die.
Founder of CJP Abhijeet Dipke said Wangchuk has been losing muscle mass and was in “immense pain”, adding the activist has lost 8.5 kg since beginning of his fast.
“He has started losing muscle mass and is in immense pain. Like everyone else, I begged him to end his fast. He calmly replied, ‘Don’t ask me to end my fast. Ask the government why they won’t even have a dialogue,’” Dipke said in a post on X.
Addressing a press conference, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi unveiled the five-point examination reform charter, calling for structural changes to India’s public examination system.
She alleged that despite repeated paper leaks over the past decade, there was no official database of such incidents and “virtually no accountability”, adding that there had not been a single conviction under the Public Examinations Act.
Among its key proposals, the charter seeks replacement of the existing law with a Public Examinations (Transparency, Accountability and Candidates’ Rights) Act, dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and creation of a statutory National Testing Commission, mandatory CAG audits of examination agencies, an independent Examinations Ombudsman, a Students’ Rights Charter and a National Aspirant Welfare Fund.
The health of several protesters who have joined the hunger strike led by Wangchuk has deteriorated.
All India Students’ Association (AISA) activist Deepak, who was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Monday after his health deteriorated, was discharged on Tuesday morning.
The organisation said its remaining activists – Neha, Manish and Aameen – continued their indefinite fast at a separate stage at the protest site.
The CJP has been holding the protest demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
The CJP has also intensified preparations for its proposed ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on July 20, the opening day of the monsoon session, and urged supporters to register their participation through its missed-call campaign.
