Sonam Wangchuk ends 26-day hunger strike, but protests continue 

Sonam Wangchuk broke his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday, ending one of the most closely watched protests in recent months, after the Central government gave him a set of written assurances on the demands raised by protesting students over the NEET paper leak. 

Accountability promised… 

The Ladakh-based education reformer ended his fast at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, in the presence of Union Health Minister JP Nadda, Minister of State Jitendra Singh, and senior leaders of the Apex Body of Leh-Ladakh. In a post on X, Wangchuk said 65 Members of Parliament from across party lines had visited him or signed letters urging him to stop, and that the decision came after long negotiations and concern over possible violence in the country. 

According to Wangchuk’s team, the government assured that the issue of accountability in the examination system would be discussed in Parliament, that families of students who died by suicide following the NEET paper leak would receive adequate compensation, and that no cases would be registered against students and youth who protested peacefully at Jantar Mantar and during the Sansad Chalo march on 20 July. The government also indicated it would consider the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as part of that parliamentary discussion. 

Hours before Wangchuk’s announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a video message saying a new law providing for fast-track courts and stricter punishment for paper leaks would be placed before the Union Cabinet on Friday, ahead of introduction in Parliament as early as next week. Modi said the government’s immediate priority had been to ensure students did not lose an academic year, noting that exams for around 22 lakh candidates had already been conducted and results declared on 19 July, alongside several arrests linked to the leak. 

…but protests to continue 

Not everyone was satisfied with where things stood. The Cockroach Janta Party, which has led the sit-in at Jantar Mantar, said it was relieved that Wangchuk had ended his fast but made clear the protest itself would continue until Pradhan resigns. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was sharper still, calling Modi’s midnight video an insult to students’ intelligence and repeating three demands: sack Pradhan, punish those responsible for the police action against students, and apologise. 

The government also used Thursday to make a change at the top of the education bureaucracy, appointing IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as Higher Education Secretary in place of Vineet Joshi, who has been moved to the Department of Panchayati Raj. 

Wangchuk, for his part, used his final message from the hospital to appeal for calm, urging supporters to ensure there is no violence anywhere as the movement enters a more political phase. 

What began as one man’s fast over an exam paper leak has now split into two tracks. The government is moving, at least on paper, to fix the technical failures that caused the leak. The street, led by students who have not forgotten who was in charge when it happened, is still waiting for someone to be held accountable for it.