Actor and comedian Shekhar Suman has voiced his support for education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was forcefully shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning after his health deteriorated during his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. Shekhar addressed the protest on the latest episode of Shekhar Tonite, the revived version of his talk show Movers & Shakers, which aired a day prior to the activist was taken to the hospital.
Shekhar Suman questions silence over Wangchuk’s protest
Addressing Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike, Shekhar expressed surprise over the lack of widespread concern around the activist’s deteriorating health. He questioned why there was little public reaction despite Wangchuk raising issues concerning students, education reforms, and the country’s future.
Speaking in Hindi, the actor said, “Social activist Sonam Wangchuck ji has been sitting on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for many days, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. I am astonished to see that no one else seems astonished,” Suman said in his monologue. A person is on a hunger strike for the betterment of the country and society, for the future of students, and to save the crumbling structure of our education system, while the establishment lies at ease.
He added, “Woh vyavastha joh na sirf goongi, behri aur samvedanheen hai, balki tang dil, sang dil aur bedil hai. Thake hue urjaheen shareer mein bhale hi shakti na ho, lekin desh ke laakhon yuvaon ki woh taakat hai. Aur gaur se dekha jaaye, to hum sab zinda laashon mein woh ek akela jeevit hai. Main hairaan hoon yeh dekh ke ki koi hairaan kyun nahin?”
(An establishment that is not only mute, deaf, and devoid of empathy, but also narrow-hearted, stone-hearted, and heartless. His exhausted, energy-depleted body may no longer have strength, but he carries the strength of millions of young people in this country. And if you look closely, among all of us living corpses, he is the one truly alive. I am astonished to see that no one else seems astonished.)
Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike and demands
Sonam Wangchuk, the education reformer from Ladakh, has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since June 28, raising concerns over the state of India’s education system. Organised under the banner of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the protest has called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, including the reported paper leak. The movement has also brought renewed focus on the struggles faced by students and the growing anger surrounding examination-related controversies.
The situation at the protest site intensified on Saturday after CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that police forcibly removed him and took action against other demonstrators. The incident came shortly after Wangchuk revealed that he had lost nearly 20% of his body weight during the fast. Despite his declining health, the activist maintained that he would continue the hunger strike until his demands were addressed.
After completing 20 days of fasting, Sonam shared a video message appealing to people across the country to join the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march scheduled for July 20. Describing it as a peaceful demonstration, he said the movement’s impact would depend on the number of citizens who step forward to support students and participate in the march towards Parliament.
Support grows for Sonam Wangchuk
Sonam Wangchuk’s protest has also received support from several well-known names from the film fraternity. Actors and filmmakers, including Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Abhay Deol, Anurag Kashyap, Omi Vaidya, Sayaji Shinde, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Swara Bhasker, Hrithik Roshan, and Prakash Raj, have publicly spoken in his support and backed his concerns over the ongoing issues surrounding education and students’ future.