From a Student Who Refuses to Stay Silent

My name is Gargee Sharma. I am 21 years old, a student, and a citizen of India. I am writing this not as a politician, not as a public figure, but as someone who has watched, with growing disbelief, what has happened to our education system and to the people demanding accountability for it.

This year's medical entrance examination leak was not a small failure. It was a betrayal — of every student who prepared honestly for months and years, of every parent who believed our institutions were fair, and of the basic promise that hard work and merit still mean something in this country. When this was described as merely a "breach in the command chain," it felt like an insult to everyone who lost sleep, money, and hope because of it.

But this is no longer only about one exam.

Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, a man respected across this country for his integrity, went on a hunger strike lasting over two weeks, simply to demand transparency and accountability. Instead of being heard, he was forcibly removed from the protest site and hospitalized. Students who gathered in solidarity at Shivaji Park, Dadar, were detained, and protesters have alleged assault by police, with some claiming to have video evidence. Peaceful dissent, the most basic right of any citizen in a democracy, is being met with force instead of dialogue.

I am not writing this letter alone in how I feel. I believe there are thousands of us, students, parents, teachers, and ordinary citizens — who are asking the same questions:

- Why should a peaceful hunger strike end in a hospital bed instead of a resolution?

- Why are students being detained for asking their government to be honest?

- Why has no one been held accountable, publicly and transparently, for the leak itself?

We are calling for:

1. An independent, transparent investigation into the examination leak, with findings made public.

2. An immediate end to the use of force and intimidation against peaceful protesters, and accountability for those responsible, including any police or security personnel involved.

3. Full transparency about Mr. Sonam Wangchuk's medical condition and treatment, and a guarantee of safety for all those engaged in peaceful protest.

4. A public, honest accounting to the citizens of this country of what went wrong, and who is responsible.

This is not about one exam, one man's fast, or one protest. It is about whether the institutions meant to serve us can still be trusted and whether dissent in this country is allowed to exist without fear of violence.