Signing you in

On Day 20 of his hunger strike, activist Sonam Wangchuk said that he remained “very strong” from the inside, and would “stay alive at any cost” until Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, when the protesters intend to march to Parliament.

Among those who visited the protest site on Friday were NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule, Congress MP Pawan Khera, and former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar.

“I am weak from the outside but very strong inside. I am sure all of you are strong from the inside, and outside too. We need this energy for July 20, when we will take out a peaceful march to Parliament. We will go together and present our plea in the temple of democracy,” Wangchuk told supporters in the morning.

“I will stay alive until July 20 at any cost. If you don’t come [for the march] and July 20 is not successful, I will come back as a ghost,” he said in a lighter vein.

Wangchuk’s personal physician Dr Satish Lamba told reporters that he continued to lose weight and show “signs of mild dehydration” but was mentally alert and his parameters were normal.

“We are worried about his health. This is an apathetic government that does not understand the language of democratic protest. And if we are protesting against such a government, our protest techniques should also evolve,” Khera said.

On Thursday, Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal had said the party shared “the anguish and outrage” that Wangchuk felt, and appealed to him to end his fast. Wangchuk’s “concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well”, Venugopal posted on X. “Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation.”

Wangchuk and the activist group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been demanding that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should take responsibility for the leak of the NEET-UG question paper in May, and leave his post.

Sule said on Friday that “the fight” would be fought in “Parliament as well”, and that the Opposition would raise the concerns of students in the House. “This issue is above politics, it is about our children. We shall remain united,” she said.

“The Union Government’s refusal to interact with the protesting leaders and students underlines its great insensitivity and authoritarian character… The CPI(M) reiterates its demand for the immediate resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, scrapping of the NTA and NEP 2020,” the Politburo said in a statement.

On Friday evening, the size of the crowd at the protest site at Jantar Mantar was roughly the same as when Wangchuk began his fast 20 days ago. A good number of YouTubers and students mobilised by the leftist students’ organisation AISA were present, who sang protest songs and raised slogans periodically.

A 16-year-old girl who gave her name as Srishti said she had skipped school to be at the protest site. She was making flowers with tempera paint on a poster. “There is corruption in this country, and the education system needs to be cleaned. I want the system to be fair and transparent; that is why I am here,” she said.

Mohammad Aslam (72), said he sells nimbu-pani near Daryaganj, and had been coming to Jantar Mantar every day since Wangchuk started his hunger strike.

Following a directive from the Delhi High Court on Thursday that Wangchuk’s health should be monitored by government doctors, the Centre has designated Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung hospital for the job. “We have been directed to start the services Saturday onwards. A team of doctors will visit the concerned person and monitor his health closely,” a source said.

Dehydration is a serious challenge for the body during a long fast, and can lead to salt imbalance, which impacts other organ systems. “Dehydration can affect all organs. Malnutrition and lack of energy can lead to these systems slowly shutting down,” Dr B K Tripathi, former head of the department of medicine at Safdarjung hospital, said.

Also, long fasts can lead to a condition called starvation ketoacidosis which, if it is not reversed quickly, can turn serious. “When there is a lack of calories, the body starts utilising protein reserves. When the proteins are broken down, ketones are produced as a byproduct. This changes the pH of the body, which is linked to several bodily processes, all of which get affected,” Dr Tripathi said.

Dr Hans Raj, former head of the medicine department at RML too spoke of potential starvation ketoacidosis. “In such a state, the patient requires immediate hospitalisation. They have to be given nutrition through a nasal tube and hydration through IV fluids. The salts have to be balanced immediately,” he said.