Dipke said Wangchuk had placed his health and life at risk to awaken the nation’s conscience over alleged examination paper leaks, student distress and demands for accountability within the education system. He welcomed the decision to end the fast but made clear that the CJP’s protest campaign would continue.
Wangchuk broke his fast shortly after midnight at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in the presence of Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. The 59-year-old activist said the decision followed prolonged negotiations on several conditions and concerns that tensions surrounding the protests could lead to violence.
“I’m grateful and happy to break my fast,” Wangchuk said after taking a drink offered by Nadda. He also appealed to supporters to remain peaceful and vigilant, stressing that violence would undermine the issues raised during the agitation.
Dipke described Wangchuk’s participation as a powerful moral intervention in a movement that began with student anger over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and widened into a broader campaign over public examinations, employment and institutional accountability.
“Sonam Wangchuk put his own life in danger for awakening the conscience of an entire nation,” Dipke said. He hailed what he called the activist’s extraordinary courage and sacrifice, adding that the country still needed Wangchuk’s voice and leadership.
The CJP said its supporters would proceed with nationwide demonstrations and maintain the protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Dipke reiterated that the movement would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, a demand the government has resisted.
The hunger strike began on June 28 in solidarity with students affected by allegations of leaked examination papers. Wangchuk’s deteriorating health became a central concern as the fast entered its fourth week. He was moved to hospital after doctors warned that declining potassium levels and prolonged food deprivation could create life-threatening complications.
The decision to hospitalise him generated legal and political controversy. Supporters alleged that he had been removed from the protest site against his wishes, while authorities maintained that medical intervention was necessary to protect his life. Wangchuk initially refused intravenous fluids and continued the fast under observation.
Negotiations intensified as lawmakers, civil society representatives and protest organisers urged the government to engage directly with Wangchuk and the CJP. Talks involved assurances that peaceful demonstrators would not face retaliatory cases and that concerns surrounding examination security would receive further consideration.
The government has also proposed tougher action against those involved in leaking examination papers, including faster trials and stronger penalties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised measures aimed at prosecuting officials and organised networks responsible for compromising examinations.
Protest leaders have argued that punishment after a leak does not address failures in prevention, oversight and accountability. They are seeking an independent investigation, compensation for affected candidates, structural reform of examination agencies and responsibility at the ministerial level.
The movement has grown from an online campaign into a wider youth-led mobilisation. The Cockroach Janta Party emerged as a satirical response to a controversial description of unemployed young people and rapidly developed into an organised platform for students frustrated by examination failures and limited employment opportunities.
Demonstrations have spread beyond Delhi, with solidarity gatherings held in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and other cities. The campaign gained further momentum after clashes between protesters and police near Parliament, during which several demonstrators and security personnel were injured.
Authorities imposed restrictions around central Delhi during the largest marches, closing some roads and metro stations and limiting access to protest zones. Police accused sections of the crowd of damaging vehicles and attempting to breach barricades. Organisers denied directing violence and alleged that peaceful participants were subjected to excessive force.
Dipke, who has become one of the movement’s most visible organisers, returned to the Jantar Mantar protest after receiving intravenous treatment and undergoing blood tests for fever and weakness. He said Wangchuk’s withdrawal from the fast should not be interpreted as the end of the agitation.
(IPA Service)
