Candlelight vigil held in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike

A candlelight vigil was held at the B.R. Ambedkar statue, on the Secretariat Road here, in solidarity with educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was forcibly hospitalised following his indefinite hunger strike demanding accountability from the Union Education Ministry.

The rally led by student and youth organisations, criticised the Central government over the failures in conducting national-level entrance examinations, including NEET and CUET. They accused the government of failing to address examination irregularities, student concerns, and demanded for transparency in the education system.

SFI State president S. Rajinikanth, DYFI leader Anaganti Venkatesh and AIDWA leader R. Aruna Jyoti addressed the gathering and alleged that the government’s response to Wangchuk’s 21-day hunger strike reflected an unwillingness to engage with democratic protests and called for immediate dialogue with the movement leaders.

The organisations demanded the resignation or removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding him responsible for the failures in the examination system. They also sought comprehensive reforms to ensure transparency, accountability and decentralisation in the conduct of entrance examinations.