Azmi, Razdan Appeal to Sonam Wangchuk to Call Off Hunger Strike

New Delhi: Veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Soni Razdan on Wednesday made an appeal to education reformer and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, saying the country needs him to continue the fight against injustice.

Wangchuk has been on hunger strike after joining the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination on June 28.

In a post on Instagram, Azmi came out in support of Wangchuk and said the country needs more people like him.

"Our country needs people like you. You have stood up against injustice and stood firmly for the truth. We are proud of you. We earnestly request you to end your fast because your guidance inspires and strengthens our students. This is a long struggle, and it is important that you remain healthy so you can continue to lead it. We stand with you," she wrote alongside a photo of Wangchuk.

Razdan also urged Wangchuk to end his fast, saying she is praying for the activist's good health.

"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," she posted on Instagram.

In a post shared on his Instagram Stories, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap called Wangchuk a braveheart and said it is "troubling when the system becomes so indifferent to people's lives".

"There was a time when hunger strike had some meaning. People don't go on hunger strike just like that. It's really troubling when the system becomes so indifferent to people's lives. Only a man as empathetic and a believer of truth and justice has the courage to do that.

"I don't have the courage to do what Sonam Wangchuk is doing. But the silence from the powers to be is deafening to the point that it is a proof of their guilt and their murderous intent. I stand with the braveheart that Sonom Wangchuk is," he wrote.

On Tuesday, veteran actor Zeenat Aman appealed to the government to open a dialogue with Wangchuk, saying India should not "sit back and watch one of its greatest minds be sacrificed".

Another member from the cinema world, "3 Idiots" actor Omi Vaidya (who essayed the role of Chatur "Silencer" Ramalingam) urged people to pay attention to the deteriorating health of Wangchuk, saying he does not want the activist to die.

According to the medical bulletin issued by the CJP, Wangchuk remains "very weak" and is under 24-hour medical vigilance.

His weight has fallen to 57.15 kg, a drop of 400 grams in the last 24 hours, taking his total weight loss since the beginning of the fast to 8.9 kg. His blood pressure was recorded at 105/76, blood sugar at 80 mg/dL, oxygen saturation at 97 per cent, while hydration was described as fair.

Doctors said he remained conscious and mentally alert but required continuous monitoring.