NEW DELHI (Monitoring Desk) — More than 60 prominent Indian personalities, including education experts, filmmakers, and civil society activists, have appealed to Ladakh-based social activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk to end his 20-day hunger strike.
The 59-year-old Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi for the past 20 days, surviving only on salt and water.
According to media reports, Sonam Wangchuk is protesting over demands for education reforms and the alleged leak of the NEET examination paper. He is also calling for the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the issue.
According to Indian media, the joint appeal urging Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike was signed by more than 60 distinguished personalities, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Abhijit Banerjee, authors Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, and filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Vishal Bhardwaj.
The appeal stated that even on the 20th day of his hunger strike, Sonam Wangchuk remains a symbol of the struggle for the environment and the future of young people. The signatories urged him to end the fast, saying that his sacrifice and determination have inspired people around the world.