Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk entered the seventh day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) claimed his health was rapidly worsening and urged the Union government to act on its demands. The wider protest entered its fifteenth day on Saturday and has drawn support from a broad cross-section of political leaders, activists and members of civil society.
According to CJP, Wangchuk has lost nearly five kilograms since beginning his fast and continues to refuse food until action is taken against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in India's examination system.
Raising concerns over the activist's health, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke questioned why the Centre had yet to remove Pradhan from office. "Sonam Sir has lost 5 kg, and his health is deteriorating with each passing day. How much longer will the Prime Minister wait before sacking Dharmendra Pradhan?" questioned Dipke.
He also referred to the deaths of students allegedly linked to examination-related issues, asking, "Why is Dharmendra Pradhan so important to PM Modi that, despite the deaths of 20 students, he still refuses to remove him?"
In a separate statement shared on social media, Abhijeet Dipke warned that the government would bear responsibility if Wangchuk's condition deteriorated further. "If the government doesn't act fast and take action against Pradhan, it will be responsible if anything happens to Sonam Sir. Despite his rapidly deteriorating health, he has made it clear that he will not end his hunger strike until action is taken."
The CJP founder also shared a satirical cartoon on social media portraying a man attempting to consume papers labelled "Exam Paper" while being restrained by two cockroaches. The illustration carried the caption, "Go back Dharmendra Pradhan."
Late on Friday night, Sonam Wangchuk acknowledged progress in discussions between the Union government and representatives from Ladakh regarding the region's long-pending demands. However, he urged the Centre not to lose sight of the ongoing agitation over education. "Thank you government for steps taken today to resolve the Ladakh issue, now please pay attention to accountability in education,” said Sonam Wangchuk.
His remarks came after representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) announced that they had resolved differences with the Ministry of Home Affairs over the minutes of an earlier meeting, paving the way for the next round of formal negotiations on Ladakh's proposed governance framework. Leaders of both organisations also credited Wangchuk's fast with helping break the deadlock in discussions with the Centre.
Alongside Wangchuk's protest, six members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) continued their own hunger strike from a separate stage at Jantar Mantar in support of the movement. Among those political leaders who have visited or expressed solidarity are CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, Brinda Karat, CPI general secretary D. Raja, CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Yogendra Yadav, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, Annie Raja, transparency campaigner Anjali Bhardwaj, RTI activist Nikhil Dey, and Trinamool Congress MPs Sagarika Ghose and Mahua Moitra.
The Cockroach Janta Party launched the protest on 20 June, demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in several national examinations, including NEET, and seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As of Saturday, the Union government had not publicly responded to Sonam Wangchuk's latest appeal or the CJP's renewed demands.
