As activist Sonam Wangchuk continues his hunger strike from a hospital in Gurugram, his wife Gitanjali Angmo has questioned the Congress’s recent protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, saying it failed to reflect genuine support for the ongoing students’ movement against paper leaks.
Event Context
Team Analysis
In an interview with India Today, Angmo said political leaders should have joined the students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar instead of staging a demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s residence. She also suggested that Wangchuk’s public image was being used for political purposes, asserting that people could distinguish between sincere and symbolic gestures.
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Her remarks came after Rahul Gandhi and several senior Congress leaders held a sit-in near the Prime Minister’s 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence on July 21 over the police action against students during their Parliament march. The protest ended with the detention of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders after police removed them from the site.
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Sonam Wangchuk, who was shifted from the Jantar Mantar protest site to hospital last week, has continued his hunger strike there. His fast entered its 26th day on Thursday.
Separately, Angmo also appealed against connecting the Jantar Mantar protest with incidents of violence in Delhi without evidence. In a post on X, she said the students’ demonstration had remained peaceful and expressed concern over what she described as attempts to damage their image.
“As an educator, I find it deeply painful to watch the image of our students being tarnished in the media. The students’ protest is taking place peacefully at Jantar Mantar. If there are reports of violence elsewhere in Delhi, please do not rush to attribute them to this movement without evidence,” she said.
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She also questioned the approach towards the protesters, saying, “I often wonder, what kind of system is so quick to distrust its own students? Why is it easier to question their intentions than to hear their concerns?”
Calling for the students to be treated fairly, she added, “Our children deserve to be protected, not portrayed as villains. Their voices deserve to be heard, not drowned out by narratives that serve vested interests.”
Tight security measures continued at the Jantar Mantar with a contingent of police deployed at the site, a day after tensions escalated again amid the ongoing protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). 16 metro stations were closed from 7.30 am till further instructions, DMRC said on Thursday. These include Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Supreme Court metro stations. The DMRC a day earlier too shut 16 metro stations.
Match Outlook
“The protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence lacked sincerity. The public cannot be fooled anymore. This is an awakened India. Those who are insincere will be thrown out by the youth,” Angmo, a social entrepreneur and educationist told the news channel.
