Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike

Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk broke his fast on Thursday, he ​said in ​a post on X.

He said ⁠he had ​ended his fast after "a ​long negotiation on various conditions and in view ​of possible violence ​in the country".

Wangchuk, 59, had ‌been ⁠on a hunger strike since June 28 in solidarity ​with India's ​youth-led "cockroach ⁠movement" that is demanding the ​resignation of Education ​Minister ⁠Dharmendra Pradhan over medical college entrance ⁠test ​paper leaks.

Leh Apex Body co-convenor Cherring Dorjay Lakruk also announced the development.

The fast was broken in the presence of two Union Ministers on certain conditions, he said, The Hindu reports.

The government gave a written assurance that cases against students will be taken back if they are not violent, he added.

The government is also reported to have given written assurance that they will consider compensation for NEET aspirants who took their lives, he said.

The fast lasted for 26 days.

Earlier in the day,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a social media post wrote: “I am deeply aware that a paper leak is no ordinary lapse; it is an injustice that inflicts severe distress upon millions of aspiring students and their families. It is in response to this gravity that we have executed swift, uncompromising measures over the past two and a half months. The offenders have been arrested, and they now stand behind bars."

The same day the Indian government replaced Education Secretary Vineet Joshi in a major bureaucratic reshuffle.

India has been embroiled in protests amid over alleged examination paper leaks, including the controversy surrounding the NEET exam.