India ‘cockroach’ activist Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike as protests spread

Indian “cockroach” activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike on Friday over an exam paper scandal that has spiralled into a wideranging youth-led protest against Narendra Modi’s government, with protesters continuing to call for the education minister to resign.Wangchuk said on social media that he ended the hunger strike in Delhi in the presence of two federal ministers at the urging of scores of members ⁠of parliament, and after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country”. He did not elaborate on the talks but promised to lay out details in a video soon.Protests under the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) ​movement have called for nationwide demonstrations on Friday ‌in solidarity with students who alleged police brutality during a march on parliament on Monday by tens of thousands of people, even as Modi’s government urged them to join talks.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Wangchuk for his “courage and sacrifice” and said the protests would continue until minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. “We won’t let Sonam ⁠sir’s sacrifice go in vain,” he added in a video message.The CJP ​movement wants Pradhan to step down over exam paper leaks that affected 2 million students in May and have been linked to several student suicides.Late on Tuesday, Pradhan, in his first comments since demands for his resignation were made, said the government was committed to addressing concerns and reforming ​exams.The protests have drawn tens of thousands on to the streets, and represent the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014. ‌Opposition parties have echoed the youth movement’s demands and have ‌disrupted the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.On the ground at India’s ‘Cockroach’ protestAfter Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, Modi urged the activist to follow doctors’ advice and regain the weight he has lost.Thousands of people remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Thursday afternoon, carrying anti-government posters and chanting slogans amid heavy security deployment. The protests have shut metro stations and mobile internet services and curtailed business in central Delhi.Protests also have spread to other cities, including Ranchi, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata, local media reported.Authorities in Delhi shut down 16 metro rail stations on Thursday in and around the central parts of Delhi where the protesters have remained camped, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.The government also ordered telecom firms to block mobile internet services in the area, sources told Reuters, a move that not only ‌affected protesters but also stopped shops and restaurants receiving digital payments by phone.The measures ​are widely seen by human rights groups as an attempt by authorities to curb protests and prevent any fresh outbreak of violence.A supporter of India’s Cockroach Janata party (CJP) stands next to a graffiti of a cockroach holding a pen at the ongoing protest site at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/ReutersEarlier on Thursday, Modi said that special courts would be set up to prosecute those behind exam paper leaks, his first public response to the crisis. “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future ⁠of our youth!” Modi posted online.But the CJP rejected the proposal, saying what courts do after paper leaks is just one aspect of the problem. “But ​Modi-ji, tell us why are paper leaks happening in this country in the ​first place?” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, using the Hindi honorific.“Fast-track ​courts are set up in this country for every other issue, but whether those fast track courts have actually solved those issues – you know the answer to that question, ​and so do we.“Later in the day, Modi ‌said on social media that the government ​would announce more strict actions against paper leaks at ​a cabinet meeting on Friday.Top Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor, supported the protesters via social media posts, saying it was heartening to see students come together to fight for a cause.