Sonam Wangchuk's health worsens on Day 16 of hunger strike, CJP issues ‘SOS' – 'Things looking grimmer by the day'

Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's health declined further on Mondya, the 16th day of his hunger strike, with doctors reporting a drop in his blood pressure and a total weight loss of 7.8 kg since the fast began.

The Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over alleged examination irregularities entered its 23rd day on Sunday, with Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament (MP) Pushpendra Saroj and former Kerala health minister KK Shylaja in attendance.

According to a health update shared by the outfit, Wangchuk's blood pressure was recorded at 104/66 mm Hg, and total weight loss at 7.8 kg, on Sunday. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared the health update on X on Sunday.

"Day 15 of Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. When will the government wake up???" he wrote. On Monday, Dipke wrote, “I request the Govt not to turn this into a battle of egos as human lives are at stake here,”

The CJP protest began on June 20, while Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then.

“I don’t know how much longer Sonam sir can hold on. He keeps telling us he can. But those of us sitting beside him are terribly worried,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das wrote in a post on X adding that things are looking ‘grimmer’ by the day.

‘Sacrificing his body and maybe his life’

“This is a man who could have chosen a life of comfort and recognition. Instead, the recipient of a Ramon Magsaysay Award, an honour equivalent to the Nobel Prize, is putting his own life at risk for the future of our children, the young, and this country. He sits for those dead students murdered by a broken, corrupt education system. He is sacrificing his body and maybe his life for a greater cause,” Das added.

The CJP has been demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and ₹1 crore compensation for the families of students who died by suicide since the NEET paper leak. The outfit has announced a march to Parliament on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session.

‘Just an ordinary citizen’

On Saturday, Wangchuk had urged people not to look for heroes in others, saying he was "just an ordinary citizen", not a "modern Gandhi" or a hero.

"Please don't look for a hero in someone else. Be the hero of your own life. Fulfil your responsibilities as a citizen," he said in a video posted on X.

He also appealed to people to join the march to Parliament on July 20.

Addressing the gathering on Sunday, former Kerala minister Shailaja said, "We are all here to express our solidarity with the protest conducted by the CJP. It is on an important issue. We want accountability in examinations. We want a fair entrance examination system in our country."

She alleged that repeated paper leaks could not have taken place without the ministry's knowledge and backed the protesters' demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.

"It is a great scam. They are selling the future of our students by leaking question papers. Twenty young students have committed suicide over this issue. The central government should compensate their families and ensure a fair and accountable examination system in future," she said.

In a post on X, the CJP said Saroj, one of the youngest members of the Lok Sabha, visited Jantar Mantar to "amplify the voices of students protesting against the continuous paper leaks and irregularities."

In another post on X, Dipke shared a photograph of the gathering at the protest site and wrote, "Jantar Mantar is jam-packed on Day 23."

Members of the CPI(Marxist-Leninist) Liberation-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) – Neha, Manish, Deepak Kumar Verma and Aameen - continued their hunger strike on a separate stage at the protest site.

The protest also received support from Himanshu, Delhi President of the Bhim Army, who attended the protest and conveyed the solidarity of the Azad Samaj Party with the students' movement.

Activist Lauren Jyoti Gogoi also joined the protest on Sunday, extending support to the students and calling for justice for those affected by repeated examination failures.

The day's programme concluded with a public talk by renowned economist Prof Jayati Ghosh on "The Economics of Unemployment," where she spoke about the deepening employment crisis facing India's youth and the urgent need for policies that protect the aspirations and future of young people.

(With agency inputs)