Wangchuk Ends Hunger Strike, Student Protests Continue in Delhi

Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike Friday over leaked medical school entrance exam papers, even as youth-led demonstrations demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation continued in what has become the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since he took power in 2014.

Wangchuk said on X he broke his fast in the presence of two federal ministers, urged by numerous lawmakers, following extended negotiations over various conditions and concern about possible violence in the country. He didn’t detail the specific terms discussed, promising to share particulars in a forthcoming video. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, 59, thanked Wangchuk for his courage and sacrifice, vowing protests would continue until Pradhan resigns and pledging not to let the sacrifice go in vain.

Pradhan offered his first public response Tuesday since resignation demands emerged, saying the government remains committed to addressing concerns and reforming the exam system. Modi separately urged Wangchuk to follow medical advice and regain weight lost during the strike, marking the prime minister’s direct personal engagement with the activist following the fast’s conclusion.

The scale of disruption in Delhi has grown substantial. Authorities shut down 16 metro stations Thursday in the central areas where protesters remain camped, while telecom firms were ordered to block mobile internet in the area — a measure that inconvenienced commuters and also cut off digital payment capability for local shops and restaurants. The New Delhi Traders Association separately told businesses in the Connaught Place commercial district to close early, citing a municipal security advisory. Human rights groups have widely characterized these measures as an attempt to curb the protests rather than a narrowly targeted security response.

More than 10,000 people gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site Wednesday night, with some demonstrators reportedly throwing stones and plastic bottles at police, injuring several officers, according to Delhi Police cited by ANI. That incident followed Monday’s clashes during the parliament march, when police used tear gas and batons against protesters — an exchange where reporting on both sides now shows some evidence of violence from protesters as well as police, a more mixed picture than earlier accounts focused primarily on police conduct.

Modi’s government has offered a partial concession, proposing special fast-track courts to prosecute those responsible for the exam leaks — his first direct public response to the crisis. CJP rejected the proposal as inadequate, with spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka arguing that prosecuting leakers after the fact doesn’t address why exam leaks keep happening in India in the first place, and questioning whether fast-track courts set up for other issues in the past have actually resolved those underlying problems. Modi said Thursday the government would announce stricter anti-leak measures at a cabinet meeting Friday.

The protests have drawn support from prominent Bollywood figures including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, and Kareena Kapoor, who voiced solidarity via social media, while demonstrations have spread beyond Delhi to Ranchi, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kolkata. Opposition parties have echoed the movement’s demands and disrupted this week’s monsoon parliamentary session.

The movement’s trajectory — from a satirical online campaign involving a few hundred young people to a nationwide protest disrupting a national capital’s transit and business districts — reflects broader frustration among young Indians over job shortages and recurring exam integrity failures, extending well beyond the original May leak that affected roughly 2 million students and has been linked to several student suicides. Whether Friday’s planned nationwide solidarity demonstrations sustain this momentum, or whether Wangchuk’s fast ending marks a turning point toward de-escalation, will likely depend on how the government’s Friday cabinet announcement addresses the movement’s core demands.