Filmmaker Kiran Rao has extended her support to activist Sonam Wangchuk amid his hunger strike and urged the government to "enter into a dialogue with the protestors".
The activist has been on an indefinite hunger strike after joining the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination on June 28.
Kiran shared a picture of Wangchuk on her Instagram handle on Thursday, which read "I support Sonam" and said it is distressing to "witness the complete silence" despite his hunger strike.
"I stand in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk, Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP, and all the citizens of this country, young and old, who are protesting for the rights of our students. My salaams to Sonam ji, Neha, Maneesh, Ameen and all the others for undertaking a hunger strike to make sure that justice is served. Our nation is indebted to you for shaking us out of our apathy and reminding us that every voice counts," she wrote.
"It is so distressing to witness the complete silence that this hunger strike has been met with, even after 19 days. What will it take for those in power to listen to the people? It is shocking and inhumane. I urge the government to enter into a dialogue with the protestors, to understand the pain of the students, and end this impasse. We the people have a right to be heard," she added.
Aamir, on the other hand, recently clarified that his character of Phunsukh Wangdu from 3 Idiots (2009) was not based on Sonam Wangchuk. “No. That’s not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam at the time when we were doing the film 3 Idiots.”
“Neither Raju and Abhijat, who were the two writers, nor I knew about Sonam. However, what Mr Sonam is doing doesn’t have to be based on the character of 3 Idiots for us to respect him. In fact, Mr Sonam himself has said that the character is not based on him. He has also clarified,” he added.
Without taking a stand on the ongoing protest over NEET paper leaks and the CJP asking for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Aamir expressed concern for Wangchuk’s health, “I think all of us are very concerned for his health and life. We hope that he ends his fast.”
The ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar, led by the social media collective Cockroach Janta Party, began on June 20, with Wangchuk joining the movement on June 28. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. They have also announced a peaceful march to Parliament on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session.