Indian activist Wangchuk ends 26-day hunger strike over exam paper leaks

Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day hunger strike demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over a series of examination paper leaks.

Wangchuk, 59, announced the end of his strike on X late on Thursday night, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a video address on the same social media platform, saying he will bring a tougher law to check paper leaks.

Wangchuk said he ended his fast after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country”. He said he would describe the conditions in a separate video.

Modi said the government was working on measures to fast-track court proceedings against those involved in the leaks and that the issue would be discussed by the cabinet on Friday.

In his video address, Modi called the leaks a “matter of great pain” for hundreds of thousands of students, without mentioning Pradhan.

The activist had been on a hunger strike since June 28 in solidarity with India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that is demanding Pradhan’s resignation over medical college entrance test paper leaks, which forced millions to retake the exam.

Wangchuk’s announcement came as thousands of pro-CJP protesters continue to protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area and across the country in one of the biggest challenges for Modi since his 2024 re-election for a third term.

The CJP, which has millions of followers on social media, on Thursday said it would press ahead with its fight “to fix the system and set accountability”.

“This country has seen many announcements of fast-track courts, but this is not the solution to the systemic issues in the education system,” CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka said on social media.

“Modi should fix the system, remove Dharmendra Pradhan and bring accountability.”