New Delhi: A group of eminent academics, writers and activists, including retired professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), have written an open letter to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, asking him to resign from his post, owning the moral responsibility for his failure, as part of the government, that led to the mismanagement of conduct of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate results and other examinations.

Highlighting how educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk has lost significant weight during his hunger strike, now going on for 20 days, they stated that his life, along with those of the students who had joined the fast, was "in danger".

Wangchuk joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest at Jantar Mantar, in Delhi, last month, seeking the resignation of the Union education minister.

Read the full letter below:

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan,
Honourable Minister for Education,
Government of India, New Delhi.

Dear Shri Pradhan,

Shri Sonam Wangchuk, an education and environment activist who is well known to you, has been on an indefinite fast for the last twenty days demanding accountability from the government for the mismanagement with regard to the conduct of the NEET and other examinations, and has asked for your resignation as education minister, as a signifier of this accountability. He has lost nearly ten pounds and his life, which is extremely precious for the country, is in danger.

Many students are also on hunger strike. Their lives too are in danger.

If anything happens to them, then posterity will hold you squarely responsible for it, and deem your conduct to be utterly dishonourable for clinging to office by sacrificing precious lives. On the other hand it would be an honourable act if you resigned as education minister, owning moral responsibility for the government’s failures. You may believe that you are following your party’s and government’s directive by not resigning, but nobody in the ultimate analysis can evade moral responsibility for his own actions. We urge you to take the honourable course and resign your minister’s job, owning moral responsibility for the government’s failures, and save the lives of Shri Wangchuk and the idealistic students who are also on hunger strike. 

Romila Thapar Professor Emeritus, JNU,

Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, JNU,

John Dayal, Writer and Activist,

Sunanda Sen, Professor Retd., JNU,

Utsa Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, JNU,

Zoya Hasan, Professor Emeritus, JNU,

C.P. Chandrasekhar, Professor Retd., JNU

Neera Chandoke, Professor Retd, Delhi University

Harsh Mander, Writer and Activist

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