Progressive thinkers, writers and activists staged a protest in Shivamogga, extending support to Sonam Wangchuk and students protesting in Delhi, on July 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit: S.K. Dinesh
Writers, activists and representatives of various progressive organisations in Shivamogga staged a protest on Monday (July 20, 2026) in solidarity with students and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike in Delhi and had called for a ‘Parliament Chalo’ protest.
The protesters gathered in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the city and raised slogans against the Central government, expressing support for Mr. Wangchuk and the protesting students. They condemned the alleged use of police force against peaceful protesters instead of engaging with them in dialogue
‘Indifferent government’
Noted poet Savitha Nagabhushan said that in a democracy, it was the government’s responsibility to listen and respond to the concerns of its people. She alleged that the ruling government had become indifferent to protests and public demands.
Writer Prof. Sabitha Bannadi alleged that the Centre was unwilling to recognise the peaceful protest. “There has also been a campaign to discredit the protest by spreading false information about Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike. The protest is against alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and the alleged involvement of a mafia in question paper leaks,” she said.
M. Gurumurthy, state convener of the Karnataka unit of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS), alleged that the Centre had forcibly removed Mr. Wangchuk from the protest site and had shown no concern for the issues raised by the protesters.
Reiterate demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
The protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down, taking moral responsibility for the situation.
Advocate K.P. Sripal, activist K.L. Ashok, poet S. Usha, writer B. Chandre Gowda, Prof. Keshava Sharma, Prof. Meti Mallikarjun, Prof. Prakash Marganahalli and Prof. Krishnamurthy were among those present. The protesters submitted a memorandum to Additional Deputy Commissioner V. Abhishek
Published – July 20, 2026 06:03 pm IST
