Woken from sleep to witness Wangchuk end fast, says Ladakh leader
Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his 26-day hunger strike following government intervention and negotiations regarding constitutional safeguards for the region. The event occurred amidst ongoing student protests in Delhi over education system reforms and paper leaks.
Why it matters
The resolution of the hunger strike marks a significant moment in the ongoing political tension between the Union Government and Ladakh's representative bodies regarding the region's status.
After being denied access to activist Sonam Wangchuk for two days, a civil society group from Ladakh was “woken up from sleep” on Thursday (July 23) night and rushed to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram to stand witness to Mr. Wangchuk breaking his 26-day hunger strike.
As thousands of people continued to flock to Jantar Mantar, where members of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are sitting on a dharna to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, despite metro stations being closed and an Internet shutdown in place, the Union Government worked all through the night to find a way out of the crowd build-up that sees no sign of abating.
With Delhi University colleges reopening on July 28 and the weekend approaching, the government hastened channels of communication with the CJP team and Mr. Wangchuk to ensure that the protest is wound up before a major incident takes place.
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