Wangchuk hunger strike, youth protests intensify pressure on Modi government
The movement gained fresh momentum after Wangchuk was shifted from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike.
The indefinite hunger strike by climate activist and education reform campaigner Sonam Wangchuk, coupled with violent clashes between police and activists of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has escalated pressure on the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The protests disrupted proceedings on the opening day of the monsoon session of Parliament, forcing the closure of Parliament gates and triggering repeated adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Opposition lawmakers staged protests over the police action against demonstrators, while some MPs met the protesters outside Parliament during breaks in the proceedings.
By evening, police cleared the protest site at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi, where CJP had been demonstrating for nearly a month over the alleged leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination papers. The group said it would continue its protest at a nearby location.
The movement gained fresh momentum after Wangchuk was shifted from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike.
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Amid the street demonstrations, a two-member CJP delegation met Indian Health Minister J P Nadda at his residence and submitted a memorandum outlining three demands: the resignation of the education minister, Wangchuk's release from hospital, and compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide.
Hunger strikes and India's protest tradition
Hunger strikes have long been one of India's most powerful forms of political protest, often shaping public opinion and galvanising nationwide movements on issues ranging from the independence struggle to environmental protection and social justice.
Mahatma Gandhi described fasting as "a great weapon" and undertook the form of protest at least 20 times. His longest fast lasted 21 days in 1943 while he was detained during the Quit India Movement. He also observed a 21-day fast to protest against untouchability.
Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh launched a hunger strike in Lahore Jail in 1929, demanding equal treatment for prisoners. Since independence, prominent figures including Potti Sriramulu, Anna Hazare, Medha Patkar, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sunderlal Bahuguna have also used fasting as a means of protest.
The first major hunger strike in independent India came in 1952, when Potti Sriramulu fasted for the creation of Andhra Pradesh.
Anna Hazare's anti-corruption fast in 2011 sparked one of India's largest public protest movements in recent decades, contributing to a political shift that preceded the Bharatiya Janata Party's return to power in 2014.
Wangchuk's campaign
Wangchuk is currently on an indefinite hunger strike demanding greater accountability in India's education and examination system.
As of 16 July, he had lost more than 9kg, while doctors warned that his health could deteriorate further if he continued fasting.
He has become the most prominent face of the CJP-led campaign calling for the resignation of India's education minister over the alleged examination paper leaks,
