Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak since June 28, met Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh on Tuesday, raising questions over whether he will now end his protest.
According to PTI, the two Union ministers visited Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, where he was shifted earlier in the day from Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital following a Delhi High Court order.
The meeting comes after Wangchuk laid down two conditions on Monday that he said could pave the way for ending his hunger strike.
The Ladakh-based education reformist had said he would continue his fast unless Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders were allowed to meet Members of Parliament or MPs came to the hospital to meet him.
In a signed note issued on Monday, Wangchuk expressed solidarity with thousands of protesters gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar under the CJP banner, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.
"I will continue my fast (day 23). Seeing the brutality with which peacefully protesting youth are being dealt with, I have decided to continue my fast until the youth leaders are allowed to meet the Parliamentarians at the Sansad Bhawan or I am allowed to meet them here at the hospital," Wangchuk wrote.
While Wangchuk's two publicly stated conditions have now been met, the activist has not indicated whether he will call off his indefinite hunger strike.
Wangchuk's statement came after police used lathis against protesters who attempted to march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament to press their demands.
In the same note, he urged the government and police to allow students to present their grievances before Parliament, saying he hoped accountability would be fixed in connection with the education minister before then.
"Hopefully the government will fix the accountability of the education minister before that. I am touched and moved by how the youth have held on to peace despite provocation and I appeal to the government and the police to resolve the issue by simply allowing the students to present their grievances before Parliament today or tomorrow," he said.
He also expressed hope that protesters would continue to remain peaceful despite the tensions.
Wangchuk's message came hours after Union minister JP Nadda held talks with CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka as protests continued at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi.
During the meeting, the CJP representatives submitted a list of demands to the government, including fixing accountability for the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.
The Cockroach Janta Party, which first gained attention on social media as a political satire initiative, was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a public relations graduate from Boston University who previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party's social media team.
As of now, Wangchuk has not announced whether he will call off his hunger strike following the ministers' visit.
