Members of various people’s organisations raise slogans and hold placards in support of educator Sonam Wangchuk during a solidarity demonstration near the Gandhi statue in Visakhapatnam on Friday, calling for the protection of student rights and expressing support for his indefinite hunger strike.
| Photo Credit: V. RAJU
Members of the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC) and several civil society organisations staged separate demonstrations in the city on Friday, expressing solidarity with educationist and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi, and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-2026 paper leak.
At a programme organised near the Gandhi statue, AISEC leaders urged the Centre to respond to Wangchuk’s fast and hold those responsible for the alleged examination irregularities accountable. AISEC State adviser N. Chandrasekhar alleged that the NEET-2026 paper leak had caused distress to lakhs of students and parents across the country and criticised the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA). He appealed to the Union government to initiate dialogue with Wangchuk and safeguard his health.
AISEC State vice-president S. Govinda Raju attributed the recurring controversies surrounding national entrance examinations to the commercialisation and centralisation of the education system. He demanded that the NTA be dissolved and the Union Education Minister accept moral responsibility by stepping down.
Speaking at the event, Jana Vignana Vedika representative Sevika said Wangchuk’s fast had entered its 20th day and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.
In a separate solidarity demonstration, representatives of several civil society organisations, including Andhra Pradesh Mahila Samakhya State president Attili Vimala and Andhra Pradesh Matsya Karmika Sangham State president Neyyila Naga Bhushana Rao, voiced concern over Mr. Wangchuk’s deteriorating health. They urged the Centre to hold talks with him immediately, address his demands, and ensure accountability for repeated examination paper leaks.
Published – July 18, 2026 01:12 am IST
