Wangchuk accuses Union Ministers of betraying trust over photos
Activist Sonam Wangchuk claimed Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh broke their promise by releasing photographs of him ending his 26-day hunger strike.
- Trust deficit deepens: The alleged breach of promise feeds into a wider sense of distrust between activists and the government, making future negotiations over sensitive issues like exam reforms even harder.
- Symbolism of the fast’s end: For Wangchuk, ending the hunger strike was meant to be a collective, inclusive moment; the unilateral release of images turned it into a political victory frame for the ruling party.
- Role of security agencies: The presence of IB officers as “witnesses” to the agreement, and their subsequent inability (or unwillingness) to prevent the leak of images, raises questions about internal coordination and accountability.
- Narrative battle: While the government used the photos to signal dialogue and resolution, Wangchuk’s version positions him as someone who tried to insist on broader political ownership but was sidelined.
- Impact on student movement: For the Cockroach Janta Party and other student groups, the episode may reinforce scepticism about whether assurances from the Centre will be honoured in spirit, not just on paper.
- Personal disillusionment: Wangchuk’s comment about being let down by leaders “across party lines” suggests a deeper fatigue with partisan politics, even as he continues to engage with the system to push for reforms.
In an exclusive interview with India Today’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, climate activist and education reform advocate Sonam Wangchuk has claimed that the government broke a promise by releasing photographs of him ending his 26-day hunger strike, saying the episode left him disillusioned with political leaders across party lines.
The midnight meeting and the alleged pact
Wangchuk said there was a clear understanding that no photographs of his late-night meeting with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh would be released until leaders from the Opposition and student representatives were also associated with the announcement. The meeting took place after midnight on July 24 at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, where Wangchuk had been admitted for medical observation as his health deteriorated during the fast.
“The ministers had got their own photographers. They pledged to me, they wouldn’t release it. They broke the promise,” the 59-year-old said. He recalled telling Intelligence Bureau officers present at the scene: “You are witnesses to this agreement. Nobody will release any images to the media until I break the news with all parties represented.” According to him, they agreed and made that promise.
Why he wanted a joint announcement
In Ladakh, Wangchuk explained, it is customary for government representatives to offer juice or soup to end a protest fast after accepting the protesters’ demands. However, he insisted that the moment should not be projected as an event involving only the ruling party.
Since the ministers arrived after midnight, Wangchuk said he suggested an alternative arrangement. “I said I would break the fast, but the news would be released on my terms, with photographs of Opposition leaders and, if possible, student leaders put together.
What happened instead
Within minutes of the meeting ending, photographs of the ministers offering him a cup of soup to break the fast began circulating on television and social media. Wangchuk said he was waiting to collect photographs of leaders from other parties when a senior IB officer walked up to him and said the images were already running on TV.
The visuals quickly became part of the broader narrative around the end of his fast, with the government highlighting the meeting as a sign of its willingness to engage with protesters over the NEET paper leak and examination reforms. For Wangchuk, however, the episode reinforced a sense of betrayal. He said it left him “disillusioned with political leaders across party lines”, suggesting that trust had been eroded not just with the ruling dispensation but with the political class as a whole.
For now, the disagreement over those midnight photographs has become more than a dispute about images; it is a small but telling episode in the larger story of protest, promise and power in contemporary India.