An activist in India’s eastern Jharkhand state has ended a 16-day hunger strike after the government agreed to protesters’ demands to cancel a controversial recruitment exam. However, the protesters say they will not call off demonstrations until India’s premier investigative agency begins probing alleged malpractices in other recruitment exams. Devendra Nath Mahto ended his fast
The recent youth-led protests have weakened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “terribly”, says leading activist Sonam Wangchuk whose hunger strike galvanised the movement. Wangchuk told the BBC that the atmosphere in the country had changed following mass demonstrations which triggered the resignation of the education minister on 25 July. Young people now have more confidence
Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a hunger strike after 26 days of fasting in support of youth-led protesters demanding education reforms. In a post on Wangchuk, 59, went on strike to support the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose members are also demanding the resignation of India’s education minister. The activist previously said he had lost
The violence has sparked public anger and galvanized India’s opposition, posing a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Modi has not commented directly on the protests or engaged with protesters, but on Thursday he released a statement on X that is seen as an attempt to reach out to students who have been frustrated
Indian activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, on hunger strike for the past 20 days in Delhi, has been forcibly removed from his protest site. The 59-year-old had been protesting in support of an online satirical movement called the Cucaracha Janta Party (CJP), which seeks education reforms. Protesters had planned a march to the Indian parliament
Activist Anna Hazare’s 13-day fast in 2011 gave new impetus to an anti-corruption campaign that briefly captured the national imagination. Irom Sharmila, who was protesting against the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in northeast India, refused food for 16 years and survived only because authorities force-fed her through a nasal tube. Medha Patkar, a