Prakash Raj, who joined the Chalo Sansad march in Delhi and waved a copy of the Constitution after speaking, told PeekTV that such movements reveal who has integrity, and that history may forgive mistakes but not silence. Shabana Azmi and Poonam Pandey also attended, while Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha and Vishal Dadlani voiced support for Sonam Wangchuk online.
Sonam Wangchuk called off his 23-day hunger strike on Monday after Union Minister JP Nadda met protesters at Jantar Mantar. He had been moved to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 with dehydration, low potassium and rising ketone levels. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also broke his fast, urged on by Wangchuk and a bereaved father, saying the education reform campaign continues.
Gitanjali Angmo said the petition was wrongly interpreted after the Delhi High Court on Sunday declined to interfere with Sonam Wangchuk's treatment at Safdarjung Hospital. She questioned why the government could not have intervened democratically, with the family's trust. Wangchuk was taken there forcibly by Delhi Police on the 21st day of his hunger strike, and a fresh petition is due on July 20.
The Cockroach Janta Party's protest site at Jantar Mantar overflowed as crowds swelled to unprecedented levels following activist Sonam Wangchuk's forced hospitalisation. The turnout came ahead of the party's planned march to Parliament, with Wangchuk's removal from his hunger strike galvanising demonstrators and sharpening the confrontation with authorities.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk will end his hunger strike if the issue of education accountability is raised during Parliament's Monsoon Session, his wife Gitanjali conveyed at the Jantar Mantar protest. She relayed his appeal that Monday's march be conducted peacefully and that the protest not be misused.
Actor Vidya Malavade, known for Chak De India, voiced support for activist Sonam Wangchuk and the protesting students, saying she stands by them. Calling the situation heartbreaking, she urged the government to open a dialogue with demonstrators rather than allow the standoff over their demands to harden further.
Actor Poonam Pandey joined the Cockroach Janata Party protest at Jantar Mantar in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk and students agitating over the alleged NEET paper leak. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, she expressed concern for Wangchuk's health and those fasting alongside him, stressing the protest was about students rather than politics or religion.