Guwahati: Activist Sonam Wangchuk, on the 23rd day of his indefinite hunger strike, said he will end his fast on July 20 if the Centre accepts responsibility for recent failures in the education system, if he and the leadership of the Cockroach Janta Party(CJP) are allowed to reach the doors of Parliament and receive an assurance from MPs and leaders of various political parties that the issues will be taken up in Parliament, or if his health prevents him from continuing the fast, the MPs and political leaders visit him at Safdarjung Hospital to provide the same assurance.
In a statement posted on X from Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuk outlined three conditions under which he would call off his fast.
The first condition, he said, is that the government publicly accepts accountability for what he described as recent failures in the education system, including incidents of question paper leaks.
Alternatively, Wangchuk said he and the leadership of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) should be allowed to reach the gates of Parliament, where Members of Parliament and leaders from different political parties would assure them that the issues raised by the protest would be taken up in the House.
As a third option, he said that if his health or other circumstances prevent him from continuing the fast, MPs and leaders from various political parties should visit him at Safdarjung Hospital and give the same assurance.
Wangchuk also alleged that he was being kept under “illegal detention” at Safdarjung Hospital. He claimed that his freedom of movement, speech and communication had been restricted while he remained under medical care.
The activist’s latest statement comes days after he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital following his removal from the protest site. His hunger strike has drawn support from several political leaders and civil society groups, with calls for the government to engage with his demands.
Whether Wangchuk ends his fast on July 20 will now depend on the government’s response or the assurances he has sought from Members of Parliament and political leaders.