No deal, only written assurance: Sonam Wangchuk on ending hunger strike
text_fields
New Delhi: Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday denied reaching a deal with the Centre to end his 26-day hunger strike, saying he called off the fast only after ministers provided written assurances aimed at preventing a crackdown on peaceful student protesters.
In a YouTube message posted late on July 24, Wangchuk said his primary concern throughout the fast was protecting students from violence and legal action, and that fear of a violent sweep in Delhi — recalling the September 24, 2025 firing on youth in Ladakh — prompted him to accept the written assurances. He said he did not demand Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation during talks because his priority was to secure guarantees that protesters would not be prosecuted; he added he expects Pradhan to resign eventually.
“I was told the ministers had agreed to give the assurance in writing. I was in a hurry because the situation in Delhi was such; there was apprehension that a major crackdown could happen. I was watching reports and was reminded of September 24, 2025, when police and CRPF personnel mercilessly fired at the youth of Ladakh. I was afraid something similar could happen here. I felt that if I ended my fast and appealed for peace, perhaps the situation could be diffused,” Wangchuk said.
Responding to critics who said ending the fast in the presence of Union ministers suggested a bargain, Wangchuk asked whether he would have remained fasting 26 days if a deal had been arranged earlier in comfort. He alleged that after being taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, he was treated “like a prisoner” — denied free movement, barred from meeting visitors and kept without a mobile phone or laptop. He said he was prevented from leaving Safdarjung for several hours even after the Delhi High Court allowed a transfer to Medanta Hospital.
Wangchuk said Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh visited him at Medanta and agreed to consider compensation for families of students who died by suicide after the alleged NEET paper leak, and to hold a parliamentary discussion on examination accountability. But he said ministers initially gave only verbal assurances on withholding legal action against peaceful protesters, and he insisted on a written promise before ending his fast.
“My main concern was legal action and FIRs. I did not think it was necessary for me personally to secure the minister’s resignation,” he said, adding that the wider movement would continue to press that demand.
Wangchuk said he had wanted to end the fast in the presence of MPs, members of the Cockroach Janta Party and Ladakhi representatives, but many supporters were not allowed to meet him before ministers arrived late at night. He said he was saddened that colleagues and students who had come to support him could not be present.
He ended the hunger strike shortly after midnight on Thursday after receiving the written assurances that the Centre was positive about not registering cases against peaceful protesters, would hold a detailed parliamentary discussion on exam reforms and paper leaks, and was positively considering compensation for bereaved families.
Wangchuk had begun an indefinite fast on June 28 after joining the Cockroach Janta Party-led agitation demanding accountability over alleged competitive exam irregularities, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.