Cinema VinesActor and comedian Shekhar Suman took to the stage of his revived talk show, Shekhar Tonite, to voice his support for education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk. The discussion came a day after Wangchuk was forcibly moved to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning, following a deterioration in his health during an ongoing hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
On the program, Suman expressed surprise at the lack of public reaction to Wangchuk’s protest. In Hindi, he remarked, “Social activist Sonam Wangchuck ji has been sitting on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for many days, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. I am astonished to see that no one else seems astonished.” He went on to describe the activist’s condition, saying, “An establishment that is not only mute, deaf, and devoid of empathy, but also narrow‑hearted, stone‑hearted, and heartless. His exhausted, energy‑depleted body may no longer have strength, but he carries the strength of millions of young people in this country. And if you look closely, among all of us living corpses, he is the one truly alive. I am astonished to see that no one else seems astonished.”
Wangchuk, a Ladakhi education reformer, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET‑UG examination, including a reported paper leak. The protest, organized under the banner of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), has reignited scrutiny of the state of India’s education system and the growing frustration among students over examination controversies.
The situation escalated on Saturday when CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed that police had forcibly removed him and taken action against other demonstrators. The incident prompted Wangchuk’s medical evacuation to Safdarjung Hospital, where his health was monitored after the strike.
Shekhar Suman’s comments highlight a broader concern about the silence surrounding Wangchuk’s protest and the perceived indifference of the establishment. By calling attention to the activist’s plight, Suman hopes to spark wider public engagement and pressure on the government to address the issues raised by the hunger strike.
