Who Wants Sonam Wangchuk to Die?
That is not a question designed to shock. It is the only question that matters now. Every day Sonam Wangchuk remains on a hunger strike over the NEET paper leak scandal, his body grows weaker while the politics around him grows stronger. Agree with him or disagree with him, that should disturb anyone with a conscience. Hunger strikes are not television serials that can be stretched because the ratings are holding up. The human body eventually surrenders. Politics almost never does. I have never understood the strange romance Indian activists have with martyrdom. If a movement cannot gather strength from the people, it begins drawing strength from the suffering of its leader. The weaker the body becomes, the stronger the headlines become. That is a dangerous bargain. Look around Jantar Mantar today. Is this still Sonam Wangchuk's movement, or has it become everybody else's? The familiar faces are all there—professional protesters, Left activists, YouTube revolutionaries and poli...
