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‘No cases against peaceful July 20 protesters’: Wangchuk shares govt's assurance which made him end fast
In a video message shared to his official X handle, Sonam Wangchuk shared the written assurance provided by the government.
Hours after ending his indefinite fast in the presence of union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh and his wife, activist Sonam Wangchuk said the government has assured him in writing that there would be no action against protesters.
In a video message on his official X handle, the activist shared the written assurance provided by the government, which highlighted that no cases would be filed against peaceful protesters and those who had participated in the protest march on July 20 in Delhi.
“Govt is positive on not registering cases against those protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and those participating in the march to Parliament on July 20, 2026,” the written statement by the Centre, which was signed by union ministers, said.
Sharing the statement, Wangchuk wrote, “The government also gave assurance that…there will be no cases registered against the peacefully protesting students and youths.”
This came a couple of days after Wangchuk expressed the willingness to end his indefinite fast on the assurance that no punitive or retaliatory action will be taken against protesters involved in the Cockroach Janta Party movement.
“I respectfully request an unequivocal assurance from the Government that none of the young protesters will face any punitive or retaliatory legal action for participating in this movement,” Wangchuk had said in a letter to the government on Wednesday this week.
The activist began his indefinite fast on June 28 over alleged irregularities and NEET and sought accountability from the government and union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. He lost around 11 kg of his weight over the next 26 days.
Wangchuk was removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site on July 18 by the Delhi Police and shifted to the Safdarjung Hospital. However, his wife challenged the move in the Delhi high court, which ordered his transfer to a private hospital of his choice.
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What are the govt's other assurances to Wangchuk?
The government provided a list of assurances to Wangchuk, following which he ended his 26-day hunger strike. The written statement from the government outlines these assurances, which included a discussion on the alleged irregularities in NEET and the exam system in Parliament, and compensation to families of those who had died by suicide over the NEET paper leak.
“Govt has already assured threadbare discussions to find solutions to paper leaks and educational reforms for exams in the Parliament. Besides, govt is also positively considering suitable compensations for the suicide victims of recent NEET paper leaks,” the statement by the union government said. In the video message, Wangchuk said union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh had visited him at the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon late on Thursday to provide the assurances, following which he ended the fast in their presence.
“Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh came here, members from Ladakh's apex body also came here. And before that, you know at least 65 MPs from various political parties either came here or gave their signatures to persuade me to end the fast. And they provided an assurance that they would discuss the NEET papers and the examination system in the Parliament. And the ministers who came from the government, they too provided this assurance,” Wangchuk said. He added that following his appeal for no cases against protesters, “bargaining” had continued for a couple of days, owing to which he had to continue his fast for two more days.
