Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike: Naseeruddin Shah and Arundhati Roy among signatories calling on Center to start dialogue

A group of prominent public figures, including actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Prakash Raj and Zeenat Aman, writer Arundhati Roy, economist Jayati Ghosh and several academics, have expressed support for Sonam Wangchuk amid his indefinite hunger strike and urged the Center to engage in dialogue. In a joint statement issued by PTI on Monday, July 13, the signatories appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast while criticizing the government’s delay in responding to his demands.

Actor Omi Vaidya, best known for playing Chatura in 3 Idiots, also expressed concern, saying he “doesn’t want Sonam Wangchuk to die” and called for efforts to resolve the impasse.

Sonam Wangchuk, known as the inspiration behind Amir Khan’s character ‘Rancho’ in ‘3 Idiots’, today entered the 18th day of his hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in association with Abhijeet Dipke’s satirical trial ‘Cockroach Janta Party’. The strike, which aimed to initiate various and other competitive dialogues on the paper, has extended to the NEETG paper. media attention and calls for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan The government remained silent on the matter and offered no comment or response.

Pressure to end the strike is expected to grow as Wangchuk’s health continues to deteriorate, with a glycemic index of 67, blood pressure of 107/70, and according to organizers, he has reportedly lost 8.5kg since June 28, the date the strike began. In response to the current statements and support, Wangchuk stated, “Instead of asking me to end the hunger strike, ask the government why it refuses to listen”, indicating a clear intention to continue the strike until a dialogue on the subject of the newspaper is established.