Bollywood Stars Rally Behind Sonam Wangchuk, Urge End To Hunger Strike
As Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike entered its 18th day, several Bollywood celebrities urged the climate activist to end his fast amid growing concerns over his deteriorating health.
As climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk enters day 18 of his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, the Hindi film industry is raising its voice. Veteran actress Shabana Azmi led the charge on social media, pleading with the activist to end his fast as his health severely deteriorates. Taking to Instagram, Shabana Azmi shared a viral, pale picture of Wangchuk and wrote, “Dear Sonam Wangchuk, Aap jaise vyakti ki hamare desh ko bahut zaroorat hai. Aap nainsaafi ke khilaaf khade hain, sach ke liye khade hain, humein aap par garv hain.”
She continued her emotional appeal: “Iss liye hum aapse binati karte hain ke aap apna fast tod dein kyun ke hamare vidyarthion ke liye aap ka marg darshan unka hausla badhata hai. Yeh ladayi aage tak ladni hai iss liye aapka sehatmand rehna zaroori hai. Hum aapke saath hain.”
Shabana Azmi is just one of many celebrities backing the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) ongoing 25-day protest. The movement is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET examination irregularities and CBSE’s on-screen marking system, alongside Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide due to the controversy.
Actress Soni Razdan echoed Shabana Azmi’s sentiments, sharing a heartfelt note: “Dear Sonam Wangchuk, For your health, we all do pray. Please do not leave us in this way. Please live to fight another day. Please stay. Please end your fast today... We need you. Don't leave us.”
The urgency comes on the heels of alarming health updates. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke tweeted: “Day 17 of Sonam Sir's Hunger-Strike. He has started losing muscle mass and is in immense pain. Like everyone else, I begged him to end his fast. He calmly replied, ‘Don't ask me to end my fast. Ask the govt why they won't even have a dialogue’.”
According to health bulletins, Wangchuk has lost 8.2 kg, with his blood pressure dropping to 107/70 and blood sugar at 67. Student activists from AISA are on a parallel strike, with one recently hospitalised due to hypovolemic shock.
Actress Zeenat Aman directly addressed the government's silence. Quoting news of his immense pain, she wrote, “With respect to Mr. Wangchuk's wishes, I implore the Indian government to open dialogue on this matter that concerns the future of all India. We must not become a society that sits back and watches one of its greatest minds be sacrificed. India has a long history of peaceful protest; those who wield power are obliged to meet such protest with peaceful dialogue. My respect and best wishes to all.”
Television star Rubina Dilaik reposted Zeenat Aman's message, adding, “He is a real hero. Don't let him die fighting for our country's own good.” Meanwhile, Omi Vaidya introduced himself in a video as "Chatur from 3 Idiots" to make a point: “I don't want Funsukh Wangdu to die. Right now he is on a very long hunger strike. His blood sugar has gone down very much. I don't know if you've heard about this. I don't know if the media is reporting this. But this is a pretty important thing.”
Actors Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin reacted by sharing broken heart emojis, while Pooja Batra shared a picture of Wangchuk with a strong message: “He is fighting for us. And our future generations. If we remain quiet, we should be ashamed of ourselves. Support in whatever way you can. But support this man.”
The chorus of concern expanded as a joint appeal was issued by actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Prakash Raj, writer Arundhati Roy, economist Jayati Ghosh, and other prominent figures including Anuradha Chenoy, Nivedita Menon, Tanika Sarkar, Aditya Nigam, Sanjay Kak, Lalita Ramdas, Kavita Srivastava, Madhu Bhushan, and Arundhati Ghosh.
Their statement read: “We salute your sense of purpose, the determination and courage with which you are spearheading this movement for students and youth across the country. We request you to please consider ending this hunger strike immediately in the interests of the longer and more difficult struggle ahead. This battle is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need you, your strength and leadership in the days to come.” They added, “We worry that their negligence in responding to your demands will only worsen the already fragile state of health that many of you are in.”
Others in the industry expressed sheer frustration. Actress Shreya Dhanwanthary wrote, “I hate that I'm about to say this but please sir, consider ending your fast. Sonam Wangchuk is using a peaceful expression of rebellion against a government that has shown little to no moral conscience. Sir, you cannot reason with an apathetic state.”
Lyricist Varun Grover took to X, writing: “Maybe CJP and Mr. Wangchuk started this hunger strike under the delusion that the govt. has a heart for students killed/traumatised by NEET paper leak. Maybe they were under no illusions but at least hoped for a tsunami of support from the students they are protesting for. Or maybe they knew it all and still went ahead because that's what revolutions sometimes demand — a delusion that people care for their own issues, a wishful thinking that our kings have a soul or at least some basic decency. And that's why most revolutions fail because they are not meant to succeed but to remind and document — that power has an infinite appetite for violence, especially when the opponent is non-violent.”
His collaborator, Swanand Kirkire, questioned the political opposition: “Why isn't Congress doing anything on its own? If everything is a conspiracy against Congress, what's stopping it from sitting on a hunger strike? The people protesting seem to be fighting for a legitimate cause. They aren't demanding something abstract like the Jan Lokpal. The students are real, and their grievances appear real. If Congress believes there's a conspiracy against it, wouldn't the best way to expose or neutralize it be to join hands with these protesters?”
Despite the deteriorating conditions, Wangchuk, who joined the movement on June 28, refuses to back down ahead of the CJP's planned march to Parliament on July 20 – the first day of the Monsoon Session. As Wangchuk recently stated, “It is in the long-term interest of the government to listen to the voice of the people. He should be sensitive, not rigid. A democracy is run through empathy and compassion, not through rigidity.”
