With Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike over alleged examination irregularities continuing to make headlines, support from the film fraternity is only getting stronger. After several Bollywood celebrities rallied behind the activist, Hrithik Roshan has now joined the chorus, voicing his support for Wangchuk and urging that justice be delivered to the students.
Event Context
On Friday, Hrithik took to his Instagram Stories to react to a statement shared by the activist, who questioned the silence over the alleged exam paper leaks. Hrithik reposted a reel of Wangchuk, which was shared by actor Lisa Ray, on his Instagram Stories.
Match Outlook
In the reel, Wangchuk is heard saying, “When will you wake up? Twenty young souls have taken their own life. They worked hard all their lives to sincerely prepare and succeed in these examinations, and even those examinations were rigged. So, it means a lot for those young souls and their families, but also it means a lot for you, because the doctors who will treat you and your children are going to be those who cheated, who were never good for becoming a doctor. Same for engineers. They will build buildings in which your grandchildren will be buried alive. If you don’t raise your voice today, when I am taking the initiative, you are then perhaps condemned to keep dying like animals.”
Hrithik reacted to the reel, saying that Wangchuk’s words resonated with him and expressing solidarity with the activist’s message.
“This sounds true. I learnt about the trauma students go through when I played a teacher in one of my movies,” Hrithik wrote.
For those unaware, Hrithik portrayed celebrated mathematician and educator Anand Kumar in Vikas Bahl’s Super 30, a film inspired by the teacher’s journey of mentoring underprivileged students.
The Cockroach Janata Party has been protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi since June 6, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities and leaks during the NEET exams. Wangchuk joined them and began his indefinite hunger strike on June 28.
On Saturday, Delhi Police moved Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital. Police said the activist was shifted in compliance with Delhi high court directions and on the advice of medical experts because of his deteriorating health.
“As per orders of Hon’ble High Court and on expert medical advice due to the deteriorating health condition of Sh. Sonam Wangchuk, he has been shifted to the hospital for essential medical care. While complying with the orders of Hon’ble High Court the protestors tried to create obstruction, in which slight commotion ensued; however, police took maximum restrain and undertook the exercise safely,” the DCP said on X. They also said they did not beat any of the protesters. The protest has entered its third week. Demonstrators demand the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET paper leaks.
