State stands in solidarity
Members of the local civil society on Thursday criticised the Central government for its lack of concern to wards the deteriorating health of activist and innovator Sonam Wang chuk, who is on an in definite hunger strike in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dhar mendra Pradhan for his failure in preventing the alleged paper leaks and system failures in the NEET-UG and other na tional exams. “The one-day solidarity protest held in Panjim is in support of Wangchuk, who has been on a hun ger strike for 19 days. This protest was organised by local youth in response to a national call from Wang chuk’s team to highlight the lack of government response to his campaign. The movement is entire ly non-political, aimed at expressing solidarity and raising awareness in Goa and across the country,” President of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa, Valmiki Naik said. He said that the primary concern of the civil socie ty members is the Central government’s continued silence as Wangchuk’s health deteriorates. “The core issue behind this movement is the recurring leaks of national examinations, such as the NEET paper. Data shows that over 70 papers have leaked in the last sev en years, leading to devastating consequences, including student suicides.
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We are calling on the government to im mediately engage with Wangchuk and address his central demand: the resignation of the Education Minister,” Naik said. He added that while this step alone will not solve the en tire issue, it is a necessary measure to establish account ability and ensure that future leadership prioritises the integrity of the country’s national examinations. The general secretary of the National Fishworkers’ Fo rum, Olencio Simoes said despite his global recognition and the vital issues he is raising regarding the environment and the future of our youth, no representatives from the Centre have engaged with him. “It is unfortunate that the Central government is paying scanty attention.
It must send a representative immediate ly to meet with Wangchuk, hear his grievances, and request that he end his hunger strike,” Simoes said. He demanded that the Union government should initiate a formal dialogue to outline a clear, actionable plan to ad dress his demands. “It must act before his health worsens further. Sacking Pradhan on the very first day would have resolved this is sue. During the previous farmers’ protests, we witnessed a prolonged crisis that resulted in approximately 750 casu alties before the three farm laws were eventually repealed.
It is deeply concerning that we appear to be waiting for a similar escalation, or even loss of life, before decisive meas ures are taken to address the ongoing issue,” Simoes said. Sarfraz Ankalgi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Vice Presi dent for Minority (Panjim and Santa Cruz), criticised cur rent policies, noting that approximately 100,000 govern ment schools have closed across India, leaving over 70 lakh students without accessible local schooling. Additionally, the closure of nearly 1,500 educational institutes severely impacts the country’s youth. “A key demand of the protest is the immediate resigna tion of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, considering the systematic decline of the education sec tor. While different Opposition leaders and parties utilise various channels to express their sentiments on this issue, there is a shared commitment to the cause,” Ankalgi said.
Docs warn of organ damage
Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health condition has entered a critical stage due to his prolonged fast and the next phase could be alarming and his organs could get af fected, doctors warned on Thursday. Wangchuk, however, re mained resolute saying calling off his fast with out any response from the government would send a wrong message. Instead, he urged people to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed Parliament march on July 20. He also insisted that he can continue for many more days. According to the latest medical bulletin issued by Dr Satish Lamba, Wang chuk has lost more than nine kg since beginning his hunger strike on June 28. He now weighs 56.9 kg. Lamba warned that Wangchuk has en tered a critical stage of prolonged fast. “After glucose reserves are exhausted, the body consumes fat.
After that, muscles begin to get con sumed. His ketone level had reached 3-plus and, after improving hydration, it has come down to 2-plus. His uric acid is high, which in dicates that muscles are be ing consumed,” he said. “The next stage can be alarming. Organs can be impacted. We are keeping him under 24×7 vigilance and hope it does not reach that stage. I urge the gov ernment to intervene as soon as possible because he is a precious gem and we do not want to lose him. If organs get impacted, it can be really alarming for us,” Lamba said. The health update came hours after Wangchuk, in a vid eo message released late on Wednesday night, ruled out ending his fast despite appeals from political leaders and supporters. The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar demand ing Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Wang chuk joined the protest 19 days ago. Some AISA student leaders are also on indefinite hunger strike in support of Wangchuk.
The AISA said its members Neha, Manish and Aameen were resting as their condition deteriorated, adding that their random blood sugar (RBS) levels had dropped below the critical level of 60 mg/dL. In his video message, Wangchuk sought to allay concerns over his health, saying medical examinations conducted so far had not indicated any immediate danger. “My condition is not such that I will die in two-four days. Many medical tests have been conducted and the results are quite normal for an 18-day fast. An ECG was also done and it is not bad. I can continue for many more days. Yes, there is weakness and my muscles are getting weak, but my heart and core are still fine,” he said. Wangchuk said students should treat it as “a real lesson in political science and democracy”.
He appealed to people to register for the march through the campaign’s website or missed-call initiative. The CJP said around 1.5 lakh people had so far confirmed their participation in the July 20 Parliament march.
