Sonam Wangchuk hospitalised: The Delhi Police on Saturday moved activist Sonam Wangchuk to a government hospital after his health deteriorated on the 21st day of an indefinite fast seeking Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in NEET and other public examinations.
Wangchuk had been fasting at Jantar Mantar during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest, which began almost a month ago.
While Sonam remained in hospital, three student activists, who had joined him un the agitation, continue to remain on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. These students are Neha Bora, Manish and Aameen. All the three students are associated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA), the students’ wing of the Communist Party of India Liberation.
Who are the three students on hunger strike?
1-Neha Bora, a PhD scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, is the AISA national president. She hails from Uttarakhand and completed her BA from Delhi University, MA from Ambedkar University. She is pursuing PhD from JNU in School of Arts and Aesthetics. Neha has been a theatre artist and activist.
2- Manish is AISA’s Uttar Pradesh president and a PhD scholar at Allahabad University. Manish has faced action from the university over his activism in Uttar Pradesh before. He hails from Azamgarh in UP and has cases filed againts him over involvement in activism mostly related to fee hike movement in Allahabad University.
3- Aameen Amitoj, is AISA Vice President at Ambedkar University in Delhi. He did his BA from SGTB Khalsa College and is pursuing PhD in Urban Studies from Ambedkar University. He hails from Ludhiana, Punjab.
“At around 7 am, some people in plain clothes entered the stage area. Five to ten minutes later, a heavy police deployment moved toward the stage area, and Sonam Wangchuk, who was on the 21st day of his hunger strike, was forcibly removed from here in the name of providing him medical attention.” Neha said in a video describing the sequence of events on Saturday.
On Friday, AISA said Neha’s blood sugar level had dropped to a critically low level, prompting doctors to recommend that she end her fast and seek immediate hospitalisation. AISA also said fellow hunger strikers Aameen and Manish had developed serious health complications after 20 days of fasting, PTI reported.
3 students were on hunger strike for 21 days
The three had begun the indefinite hunger strike to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following irregularities and paper leaks in crucial medical entrance exams, as well as to highlight the lives lost to suicides linked to these examination scandals.
Following the police hospitalisation of Sonam Wangchuk on medical grounds, the AISA activists formed a human chain to continue their fast even as Delhi police tried to shift them too.
After Saturday’s events, at least six more students have announced to join the hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has also started hunger strike on the issue.
JNUSU joint secretary Danish Ali, JNU’s Barak Hostel president Hrishikesh and Delhi University student leader Deepak have been admitted to hospital after their health deteriorated during the protest.
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