Sonam Wangchuk to end hunger strike tomorrow on 2 conditions, says wife

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Activist Sonam Wangchunk's wife speaks from the stage flanked by members of the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)A day after Delhi Police officials forcibly hospitalised him at Safdarjung Hospital and hours after his plea to be shifted to a private unit was turned down, activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was ready to call off his hunger strike on two conditions on Sunday.On the eve of a scheduled march to Parliament — Delhi Police has said they neither received any request for permission, nor did they grant one — Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo made the announcement from the stage of the Jantar Mantar protest site, flanked by members of the Cockroach Janta Party, which is leading the protest against alleged NEET paper leak and demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.Angmo said Wangchuk will end his hunger strike on Monday, July 20, if political leaders meet him at Safdarjung Hospital and assure him that the issue of education accountability will be raised during the monsoon session of Parliament, which begins the same day.Angmo said Wangchuk would end his fast, provided there is commitment from political parties to take up the issue in Parliament.“If political leaders meet Sonam at the hospital and assure him that they will raise the issue of education accountability during the Monsoon Session, he will end his hunger strike tomorrow,” Angmo said.She also conveyed Wangchuk’s appeal to the supporters of the movement ahead of the CJP’s proposed ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on Monday, urging them to maintain peace and discipline.“Sonam has requested all of us to take out tomorrow’s march peacefully and ensure that the protest is not misused,” Angmo said. Monday’s proposed march to Parliament coincides with the opening day of the Monsoon Session, which will continue till August 13.Story continues below this ad“Sonam’s health is perfectly fine. I tried my best in the high court to have him shifted to a private hospital, but I could not succeed,” she told news agency PTI.On Saturday, Delhi Police forcefully admitted Wangchuk to the Safdarjung Hospital after three weeks of fasting at the CJP protest site at Jantar Mantar.Angmo and the CJP have said that Wangchuk is continuing his fast at the hospital, refusing to receive any drip.Over the past few weeks, the agitation has received support from several opposition leaders and student organisations, while the Delhi High Court has also been monitoring Wangchuk’s medical condition through periodic status reports.