Sonam Wangchuk says will end fast if govt assures no action against CJP protesters; Nadda promises reply

As police and paramilitary forces sought to keep protests over exam leaks and education reform in check in the national capital, activist Sonam Wangchuk told the government he will end his fast if it gave an assurance that none of the campaigners would face prosecution or retaliatory legal action for participating in the movement led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Union minister JP Nadda late on Wednesday said the government would reply formally to Wangchuk and continue the dialogue. Nadda and fellow minister Jitendra Singh met Wangchuk at a hospital in Gurgaon late on Tuesday and appealed to him to end his fast.

Also read: CJP protests: SC declines urgent plea challenging police action; CJI says 'don't have time to watch videos'


On Wednesday, Nadda, accompanied by Singh and BJP chief Nitin Nabin, met home minister Amit Shah at his residence, signalling that the government was weighing its next political response to the escalating agitation.

“We urged him to end his hunger strike and join the mainstream so he could guide the students in the right direction,” Nadda said Wednesday. “Our government is open to discussing every issue and will continue to address them.

Today, Sonam Wangchuk has written an open letter to me. We will reply to it.”

Supreme Court says No to Police Brutality Pleas

After that, we will take the dialogue forward,” Nadda added. Leaders of the Congress and Samajwadi Party, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav condemned police action against the demonstrators on Monday, reiterating their demand for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leaks.

The Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on petitions alleging police brutality, with chief justice Surya Kant saying the court didn’t have time to review incident videos. The clashes on Monday reportedly left 60 to 150 protesters and 118 police personnel injured, with several dozens detained. Rahul Gandhi characterised the use of force as a “panic reaction” by the government.

Also read: 'Golden hour' lost: How delayed police action escalated CJP's Sansad Chalo protest

Delhi Metro shut 16 stations in the centre of the city on Wednesday in a bid to ensure people seeking to go to the protest site wouldn’t be able to do so, disrupting the travel plans of commuters, including office workers.

The Centre is likely to again engage with leaders of the CJP as it aims to defuse the anger that has built up, with social media swamped by antigovernment posts accompanied by videos of alleged police action.