Activist Sonam Wangchuk can end his fast on Monday, July 20, if political leaders meet him and confirm raising the issue of accountability and education in the monsoon session of Parliament that begins that day, his wife Gitanjali J. Angmo said on Sunday evening.
Several MPs have already met Wangchuk at the protest site and promised to raise the issue of NEET-UG papers leak and other matters during the session. These include Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, and several AAP leaders, besides Chandrashekar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party.
He follows: Live updates on the AKP protest and parliamentary march
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday filed a notice of motion under Rule 267 as well, seeking suspension of business listed for the day in the Senate to discuss the alleged NEET paper leak and the demands raised by activist Sonam Wangchuk.
The crowd swelled at the protest site
Meanwhile, Jantar Mantar turned into a packed protest camp with an influx of supporters on Sunday, a day before the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ rally, with Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Debke calling for an all-night vigil.
Police said prohibitory orders are now in place against gatherings in the New Delhi area “with exceptions.” [at] The designated protest site is on Jantar Mantar Road.”
Amid the growing crowds, teacher Gitanjali J. Angmo announced that her husband Sonam Wangchuk would end his hunger strike on Monday if political leaders met him at Safdarjung Hospital to reassure him that his issues would be raised in the monsoon session of Parliament.
Crowds continued to flock to the CJP’s protest site at Jantar Mantar throughout the day as preparations for Monday’s march accelerated. CJP spokesperson Sourav Das claimed that nearly 20,000 people were “in and around Jantar Mantar” even before the scheduled mobilization.
Sanjay’s notice in RS
AAP MP Sanjay Singh, in his memorandum addressed to the Secretary General of Rajya Sabha, said the issues are of urgent national importance and require immediate discussion.
Read also | Delhi HC rejects immediate request of Wangchuk’s wife, Angmo, for his transfer from government hospital, seeks status report
The AAP leader said the recurring controversies surrounding NEET have affected the credibility of the public examination system in the country.
Singh also referred to Wangchuk’s hunger strike over the issue and said the activist’s health is deteriorating.
On Saturday, Delhi Police forcibly transferred Wangchuk, who had been on hunger strike for more than 20 days, from Jantar Mantar and admitted him to Safdarjung Hospital.
Prohibition orders in New Delhi
New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sachin Sharma, in a public consultation on
Marches, processions and gatherings of five or more people are prohibited except at the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar with prior permission, the warning said, warning that violators face prosecution.
Police said security has been tightened ahead of the monsoon Parliament session, with increased personnel, barricades and vehicle checks at entry points across New Delhi, central Delhi and parts of north Delhi.
Three-tier security arrangements, including two layers of Delhi Police personnel and one layer of paramilitary forces, have been put in place around Jantar Mantar, according to police sources quoted by news agency PTI.
Debaki’s fast continues
The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since mid-June, with Wangchuk joining a hunger strike on June 28. Delhi Police removed him from the site on July 18, the 21st day of his fast, citing a Delhi High Court order and his deteriorating health, and transferred him to Safdarjung Hospital, where security was later tightened.
Wangchuk issued a message from the hospital urging his supporters to join Monday’s march regardless, which he called “India’s Second Freedom Movement.”
Debaki, who claimed he was beaten and detained while trying to reach the site, began an indefinite hunger strike soon after, and said the AKP’s demand had shifted from Pradhan’s resignation to the prime minister’s resignation.
He urged his supporters to gather at Jantar Mantar in anticipation of further police action, and said the march would go ahead as planned.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who broke days of silence over the strike, spoke after Wangchuk was whisked away. He said the basic principles of the Modi government are “falsehood and violence.”
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal accused the Center of breaking a peaceful protest in a “fascist” manner, while Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal questioned why Prime Minister Modi did not meet Wangchuk despite the party raising similar concerns over the paper leak.
Delhi Police confirmed that Wangchuk’s isolation followed court directions and medical advice, and that officers exercised utmost restraint during the operation.
Wangchuk’s wife has requested that he be transferred to a private hospital, a request that the Delhi High Court has refused to approve for now.
