Sonam Wangchuk Says Ministers Broke Promise by Releasing Photos of His Fast Ending
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has alleged that the Centre breached a promise by releasing photographs of him ending his 26-day hunger strike, saying the episode left him deeply disappointed and eroded his trust in political leaders.
In an exclusive interview with India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Wangchuk claimed there was a prior understanding with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh that no photographs from their late-night meeting would be made public until Opposition leaders and student representatives were also included in the announcement.
“The ministers had their own photographers. They assured me the pictures would not be released, but that promise was broken,” Wangchuk said.
Wanted a Joint Announcement
According to Wangchuk, it is customary in Ladakh for government representatives to offer juice or soup to someone ending a protest fast after an agreement is reached. However, he wanted the moment to reflect a collective effort rather than appear as an event involving only the ruling party.
He said he requested that leaders from the Opposition, along with student representatives, be present when the news of his fast ending was made public.
Since the ministers met him after midnight, Wangchuk proposed that he would end the fast immediately but the photographs and announcement would be released later, once images with leaders from across the political spectrum had also been taken.
He claimed the ministers accepted the proposal, with senior Intelligence Bureau officials present during the meeting acting as witnesses to the understanding.
‘Promise Broken Within Minutes’
Wangchuk alleged that the agreement was violated almost immediately.
According to him, while he was waiting to gather photographs with Opposition leaders, an Intelligence Bureau officer informed him that images of the ministers helping him end the fast were already being broadcast on television channels.
The activist said the development gave the impression that he had reached a private understanding with the government, a suggestion he firmly rejected.
“I didn’t sit on a 26-day hunger strike to strike a midnight deal. If I wanted to negotiate for personal gain, I had many opportunities much earlier,” he said.
- ‘Lost Trust in Political Leaders’
- Wangchuk said the incident had damaged his faith in political leadership.
- “They broke their promise. After this, I have lost trust in these leaders,” he said.
The education reform activist had joined the Abhijeet Dipke-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest over the NEET paper leak issue and began his indefinite fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 28.
After his health deteriorated, he was shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, where Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him. Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike on the night of July 24 following the government’s assurances on stricter anti-paper leak measures. Soon afterwards, photographs of the ministers offering him soup to break the fast surfaced publicly, prompting the controversy.
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