India activist ends hunger strike after 26 days

Image source, Sonam Wangchuk / X Image caption, The activist had set a number of conditions for ending the strike including a pledge by the authorities not to use force against protesters

India's activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a hunger strike after 26 days of fasting in support of youth-led protesters demanding education reforms.

In a post on X, Wangchuk - better known as "Sonam sir" - said he did so "after a long negotiation on various conditions" and also to avert "possible violence in the country".

Wangchuk, 59, went on strike to support the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose members also demand the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The activist earlier said he had lost 11kg (24lb) but was "still alive". He was forcibly removed from a protest venue in Delhi last Saturday and taken to hospital.

Why are thousands protesting for education reform in India?

Published 19 hours ago The hunger-striking engineer demanding education reforms in India

Published 3 days ago Wangchuk, a well-known name in India, ended his hunger strike after the government assured him no legal action would be taken against protesters rallying at Janta Mantar site, India's NDTV website reported.

India's state and health ministers had visited Wangchuk in hospital.

Reacting to Wangchuk's decision to end his hunger strike, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote in a post on X: "We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days."

But he added: "The Cockroach Janta Party's peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until [Education Minister] Dharmendra Pradhan resigns."

Mass protests have not stopped in the Indian capital, after the brutal police crackdown on Monday's march to parliament , which left scores of protesters and officers injured.

The CJP is now one of India's most visible youth movements. It is being seen as one of the biggest public displays of dissent against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's, which has been in power since 2014.

It emerged in May as an online satirical movement to protest against paper leaks and other irregularities in India's top exams and has gained a massive following on social media.