Swara Bhasker Says Bollywood's Fear Explains Industry Silence on Sonam Wangchuk's Hunger Strike

Digital desk

Swara Bhasker Says Bollywood's Fear Explains Industry Silence on Sonam Wangchuk's Hunger Strike

Actor Swara Bhasker has offered a blunt explanation for why Bollywood has largely stayed away from the ongoing protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in support of Sonam Wangchuk — she says her colleagues are simply scared of what might happen to them if they show up.

Wangchuk, the climate activist and education reformer, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, now well into its fourth week, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the NEET paper leak, along with broader reforms to India's examination system. The protest, organised by the youth-focused Cockroach Janta Party under activist Abhijeet Dipke, has drawn growing concern over Wangchuk's health, with the Delhi High Court directing authorities to monitor his condition regularly. Wangchuk was later moved to Safdarjung Hospital for observation after being removed from the protest site, prompting Dipke to begin his own indefinite fast in response.

Bhasker visited the protest site and sat beside Wangchuk, later posting photos on social media thanking both him and Dipke for what she called their fight for the country's children. Speaking to reporters at the site, in comments carried by The Lallantop, she said her industry colleagues were staying away because they'd watched what happened to her after speaking out in the past, and feared the same consequences would follow if they spoke up now.

She drew a comparison to the 2011 anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, when she said mainstream film industry figures had felt free to join street protests or issue public statements without the same hesitation seen today. Bhasker also took aim directly at the government's leadership during a speech at the protest, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic background in political science while criticising the administration's handling of the protests and its treatment of student agitators.

Explaining her own reasons for attending, Bhasker said she hadn't come as a celebrity but as an ordinary citizen and a mother concerned about her daughter's future in India, saying she hoped her child could grow up, study and build a life in the country without her family ever feeling compelled to relocate abroad, referencing Dubai's Golden Visa scheme as an example of what she hoped to avoid.

Neither Dharmendra Pradhan nor the Education Ministry has issued a public response to Bhasker's remarks or the broader protest's demands as of this writing. With Wangchuk's hunger strike now well past three weeks and his health under continued medical observation, the protest's next major flashpoint is likely to hinge on whether his condition forces further government engagement — regardless of how many more Bollywood figures choose to join Bhasker in showing up.

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18 Jul 2026 By Priyanshu.Jha

Swara Bhasker Says Bollywood's Fear Explains Industry Silence on Sonam Wangchuk's Hunger Strike

Digital desk

Wangchuk, the climate activist and education reformer, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, now well into its fourth week, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the NEET paper leak, along with broader reforms to India's examination system. The protest, organised by the youth-focused Cockroach Janta Party under activist Abhijeet Dipke, has drawn growing concern over Wangchuk's health, with the Delhi High Court directing authorities to monitor his condition regularly. Wangchuk was later moved to Safdarjung Hospital for observation after being removed from the protest site, prompting Dipke to begin his own indefinite fast in response.

Bhasker visited the protest site and sat beside Wangchuk, later posting photos on social media thanking both him and Dipke for what she called their fight for the country's children. Speaking to reporters at the site, in comments carried by The Lallantop, she said her industry colleagues were staying away because they'd watched what happened to her after speaking out in the past, and feared the same consequences would follow if they spoke up now.

She drew a comparison to the 2011 anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, when she said mainstream film industry figures had felt free to join street protests or issue public statements without the same hesitation seen today. Bhasker also took aim directly at the government's leadership during a speech at the protest, referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic background in political science while criticising the administration's handling of the protests and its treatment of student agitators.

Explaining her own reasons for attending, Bhasker said she hadn't come as a celebrity but as an ordinary citizen and a mother concerned about her daughter's future in India, saying she hoped her child could grow up, study and build a life in the country without her family ever feeling compelled to relocate abroad, referencing Dubai's Golden Visa scheme as an example of what she hoped to avoid.

Neither Dharmendra Pradhan nor the Education Ministry has issued a public response to Bhasker's remarks or the broader protest's demands as of this writing. With Wangchuk's hunger strike now well past three weeks and his health under continued medical observation, the protest's next major flashpoint is likely to hinge on whether his condition forces further government engagement — regardless of how many more Bollywood figures choose to join Bhasker in showing up.

https://english.dainikjagranmpcg.com/bollywood/swara-bhasker-says-bollywoods-fear-explains-industry-silence-on-sonam/article-22689

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