Indian activist urged to end hunger strike as he loses 9.1kg in 19 days

BBC:

Calls are growing for Indian educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike after concerns over his rapidly deteriorating health.

The 59-year-old, who has been surviving on salt water for the past 19 days, has lost 9.1kg and aides say he’s in immense pain and unable to even stand without support.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court is set to take up a petition asking it to “urgently intervene and provide medical aid to him” – otherwise “he may die in two days”.

Wangchuk has been protesting in support of an online satirical movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) who are seeking educational reforms.

To begin with, the protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a key entrance exam for aspiring doctors was cancelled in early May following a paper leak. They say the minister must take moral responsibility and quit.

Pradhan has dismissed CJP and its supporters as “the B-team of disruptive elements”. And the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not engaged with the protesters.

Popularly known as “Sonam sir”, Wangchuk is one of Ladakh’s best-known public figures and a well-known name in India. His work has earned international recognition, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018, often referred to as Asia’s Nobel Prize.

He was the inspiration for Three Idiots, the 2009 superhit Bollywood film, and in 2017, he appeared as a celebrity guest on Kaun Banega Crorepati – the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, hosted by superstar Amitabh Bachchan.