Sonam Wangchuk Begins Indefinite Hunger Strike at Jantar Mantar, Joins CJP's Push for Pradhan's Ouster

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday launched an indefinite hunger strike at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar, lending the weight of his national profile to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) 's nine day old agitation demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET medical entrance test.

Before beginning the fast, Wangchuk and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke visited Rajghat and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi , framing the protest in the tradition of Gandhian non violent resistance . The gathering observed a two minute silence as proceedings commenced, with hundreds of protesters, mostly youth and students, filling the protest site, joined by several farmer and khap leaders.

Wangchuk said he had been compelled by the government's silence to take this step, adding that education had been close to his heart for 40 years. "I have been forced to sit here, I am not doing this happily," he said. "When some youth raise their voices on issues with the education system, how could I have remained silent? It was natural for me to support them." He declared the strike would continue indefinitely, saying he believed it was better to sacrifice himself for a good cause.

Wangchuk had announced the hunger strike on June 25 after returning from Geneva , giving the government a deadline of June 27 to respond to demands over NEET irregularities . When no satisfactory response came, he followed through. Notably, Ladakhi groups distanced themselves from the move, with Leh Apex Body co chairperson Chering Dorjay Lakrook saying neither the LAB nor any other Ladakhi organisation had any connection with Wangchuk's decision to join the CJP agitation.

Dipke said he would not join the hunger strike due to migraine related health concerns, but members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) announced they would sit on an indefinite fast in solidarity with Wangchuk . The CJP founder described the movement as his "Swadesh moment" and urged India's youth to join the cause.

The protest drew wider participation, with Sarv Khap Panchayat convener Om Prakash Dhankar symbolically tying a pagdi on Dipke , saying it represented passing the baton to the younger generation. Khap leader Atar Singh Khadyan invoked the farmers' agitation , warning the crowd that the government had once relented after considerable loss of life and could be made to respond again through sustained pressure.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni was expected to join the agitation the following day. However, Dipke alleged that several farm leaders from Uttar Pradesh , Haryana and Punjab had been placed under house arrest to prevent them from reaching the capital.

The protest also became a platform for other student related grievances . The family of Amaira , a Class 6 student who died after falling from the fourth floor of Neerja Modi School in Jaipur last year in an alleged suicide case, joined the agitation. Her parents alleged that no chargesheet had been filed and no action taken against the school or teacher. "We send our children to school with some trust. It was not negligence, it was murder," her mother said, noting the day would have been Amaira's 10th birthday .

Farmer leader Akshay Kumar from Odisha , Pradhan's home state, issued a political warning, saying the minister would face electoral defeat if he refused to step down. Farmer leader Attar Singh Kadian went further, saying the BJP was not capable of running the government and should step aside.