Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's health took another turn for the worse on Monday as his indefinite hunger strike over alleged examination irregularities, including the NEET-UG paper leak, entered its 16th day. Doctors reported a further drop in his blood pressure alongside a cumulative weight loss of 7.8 kg since he began the fast.
The strike is part of a larger agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, which began on June 20 and has now stretched into its 23rd day. Wangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and has remained on an indefinite fast since. The group is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who died by suicide over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET-UG medical entrance test.
Despite his worsening condition, Wangchuk has continued to address supporters through video messages, cautioning people against treating him as a hero. He said he was simply "an ordinary citizen," not a "modern Gandhi," and urged people to become the hero of their own lives by fulfilling their civic responsibilities instead. He has also called on citizens to join a march to Parliament planned for July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, to press MPs on examination reforms.
In recent weeks, the demonstration has received backing from a broad spectrum of political leaders and civil society representatives, among them CPI(M) leaders M A Baby and Brinda Karat, CPI general secretary D Raja, activists Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, and TMC MPs Sagarika Ghose and Mahua Moitra. On Sunday, former Kerala ministers K K Shylaja and K N Balagopal, as well as Samajwadi Party MP Pushpendra Saroj, were scheduled to visit the protest site.
In a separate development, four members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) have been observing an indefinite hunger strike at another venue linked to the same agitation.
The protest reflects mounting public anger over recurring irregularities in India's competitive examination system, particularly the NEET-UG paper leak, which has been linked to multiple student suicides. With Wangchuk's health continuing to decline and pressure building ahead of the planned Parliament march, the standoff is increasingly testing the government's response as the Monsoon Session approaches.
