Delhi Police cut water and sanitation facilities at Jantar Mantar soon after activist Sonam Wangchuk began his indefinite hunger strike in support of students protesting against irregularities in competitive examinations, the Kokroche Janta Party (CJP) has claimed.
Founder Abhijeet Deepke claimed on Sunday that basic facilities at the protest site have been cut despite repeated requests from the authorities.
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“Delhi Police has cut sanitation facilities in Jantar Mantar after Sonam Wangchuk announced his hunger strike. There is no water delivery and hygiene measures,” Debki wrote on X.
“Despite repeated pleas and telling them about Wangchuk Ji’s age and health concerns, the police are not cooperating and we suspect that other basic facilities will be cut as well. What do the police intend to do?”
Sonam Wangchuk is on an indefinite hunger strike
Wangchuk began his indefinite fast on Sunday at Jantar Mantar, where the CJP has been staging a sit-in since June 20. They are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET paper leakage issue.
More than 21 students allegedly died by suicide due to the controversy and re-examination. The CJP has a shrine at Jantar Mantar in their honour.
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Why is Sonam Wangchuk on hunger strike?
Wangchuk announced earlier this week that he would begin an indefinite hunger strike from June 28 if the government fails to make progress on at least one of two issues – accountability in the education system, increased autonomy and environmental safeguards for Ladakh.
He said he would withdraw the fast if action was taken on either demand, but continued his hunger strike indefinitely after the government did not respond to his demands.
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Before the hunger strike, Wangchuk and Dipki visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The vigil began with silence for two minutes and was attended by hundreds of students, youth, farmer leaders, and citizens.
Farmers arrested?
Earlier in the day, Debki also claimed that several farmer leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab have been put under house arrest to prevent them from joining the demonstration in Delhi. HT was unable to independently verify this claim.
The CJP stressed that its protest was aimed at demonstrating deeper concerns about transparency, accountability and public confidence in the country’s examination system.
On Saturday, Debke linked the protest to the recent paper leak of the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). He said that the repeated disputes over exams showed systematic failures in conducting competitive exams.
The Maharashtra government had postponed the TET exam a day early after parts of the question paper were leaked, leading to the arrest of three people.
The party also launched the ‘Pradhan Go Back’ campaign, asking students, parents, teachers and social organizations to join its demand for accountability in the education sector.
