Sonam Wangchuk Ends Hunger Strike Amid Fears of Crackdown on Protesters
Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, has alleged that the climate activist remains under constant police surveillance even after a court reportedly clarified that he is not under detention.
In a post on X, she claimed that police personnel were stationed throughout the hospital, including at the main entrance, reception, lifts and outside Wangchuk's ICU, and alleged that they were deciding who could meet him.
She questioned the legal basis for these restrictions and raised concerns about whether such actions were consistent with the court's observations.
Gitanjali also argued that the role of the police in a democracy should be to protect citizens and uphold the law rather than control public access on behalf of those in authority.Her remarks came shortly after Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike at Medanta Hospital.
Wangchuk said he decided to end the fast only after receiving written assurances from the Union government and Members of Parliament across political parties that his demands would be taken forward.
According to him, Parliament would discuss reforms to examination systems such as NEET, accountability for examination-related lapses and measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.He also said assurances had been given that there would be no action against peaceful protesters.
Wangchuk appealed to students and supporters to continue expressing their concerns peacefully and reject any form of violence or attempts by anti-social elements to exploit the movement.He broke his fast with juice and later had chicken soup under medical supervision as part of his recovery.
Supporters, including Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, welcomed his decision while stating that peaceful protests on the issue would continue.
Full reading at The Times of India