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 ended his strike late on Thursday night, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a social media statement, saying he will bring a tougher law to check paper leaks.

In a video address posted on social media, Modi called the leaks a “matter of great pain” for hundreds of thousands of students.

Wangchuk, 59, said in a post on social media that he had 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.

The activist had been on a hunger strike since June 28 in solidarity with India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party that is demanding Pradhan’s resignation over medical college entrance test paper leaks.

More to come…