Candellight vigil to be held in Hyderabad for Sonam Wangchuk
Hyderabad: Civil Society Organisations in Hyderabad will hold a candlelight gathering for activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday, July 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Necklace Road.
The protestors have put forth demands including protection of student rights, scrapping the National Testing Agency, and sacking of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The vigil will be held at the 130 feet Ambedkar Statue.
The activist from Ladakh has been fasting for the past 18 days in solidarity with the students who have suffered due to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG paper leak earlier this year. Wangchuk has joined the protest initiated by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
On Thursday, he ruled out ending his indefinite hunger strike despite appeals from political leaders and supporters, saying breaking the fast without any response from the government would send the wrong message. “If I eat, what message will go? The message to the government will be that there is no need for accountability. Protesters sit and leave…” said Wangchuk and asked what would change if he ended the fast.
Instead, he urged people to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed Parliament march on July 20, saying students in schools and colleges should participate “in a real lesson in political science and democracy”.
Seeking to allay concerns over his health, Wangchuk said medical examinations conducted so far had not indicated any immediate danger.
With inputs from PTI
This post was last modified on July 16, 2026 11:47 am