Wake-up call for government, says Gitanjali Angmo

Hours after activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk ended his fast at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram late on Thursday night (July 23, 2026), his wife Gitanjali J. Angmo described the students’ ongoing agitation in the backdrop of the NEET paper leak as a “very successful movement” that had put focus on education reforms and awakened the entire country. She expressed the hope that it would also serve as a “wake-up call” for the present regime.

Also read: Jantar Mantar protest updates on July 24, 2026

Speaking to mediapersons outside the hospital on Friday (July 24, 2026), Ms. Angmo said the movement had been successful on two counts – putting education back on the national agenda and awakening the entire nation. “For one, both the Opposition and the government have together decided that education is an important issue and discussion would be held on it in this Monsoon Session and the reforms would continue. This is an immediate success,” she said.

The second success, she added, was the nationwide mobilisation. “The entire country has awakened. The NEET paper leak was just a symptom. The causes behind it were there in every system – be it judiciary or media. The common man daily confronts this broken system in his life,” Ms. Angmo said.

She described the support received from across the country as a “symbol” of the public anger and hoped it would serve as a “wake-up call for the government”. “Probably they [the government] might not know so far that the country is angry with them and has so many expectations from them. From every angle, this is a successful movement. Therefore, Sonam ended his fast yesterday [Thursday],” she said.

Three demands

Mr. Wangchuk had demanded a written commitment on three points: no new FIRs against July 20 protesters and withdrawal of existing ones, compensation for families of NEET students who died by suicide, and a Parliament discussion on education reforms. Ms. Angmo said an oral assurance was given on Thursday morning, but Mr. Wangchuk continued the fast until it was put in writing. “Around midnight, these conditions were approved in writing and signed,” she said.

Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh delivered the assurance on behalf of the government. Before that, 20 MPs met Mr. Wangchuk in person and 65 Opposition MPs also assured him that the issues would be raised in Parliament, she said.

Ms. Angmo said her husband was now recovering on a liquid diet as part of a gradual process to “kick-start the digestive system”.

“Today it is liquid, dal, vegetables and coconut water. From tomorrow, he will gradually shift to semi-solid and then solids,” she said.