Climate activist and education reform advocate Sonam Wangchuk has refused to end his indefinite hunger strike despite a deterioration in his health and insists that the government must first agree to engage in meaningful dialogue. Wangchuk, who took part in the demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and has now been fasting for 17 days, and the larger march led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was on the 25th day of its campaign on July 14 and still in progress.
According to a health bulletin released by the protest organizers, the 59-year-old activist has lost 8.5 kilograms since starting his fast. His blood pressure was 109/70 mm Hg, and supporters and political leaders expressed concern at the extent to which the prolonged hunger strike is affecting him.
Wangchuk’s condition is still worsening, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the activist has begun losing muscle mass and is experiencing significant physical discomfort.
He has begun losing muscle mass and is in immense pain. As everyone else, I pleaded with him to end his fast. He calmly replied, 'Don’t ask me to end my fast. Why won’t the government have a dialogue?’” Dipke wrote in a post on X.
Wangchuk’s decision to keep on fasting has heightened public attention on the protest, which is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in national examinations as well as NEET. The activist joined the demonstration on June 28 and soon announced an indefinite hunger strike in support of the movement’s demands.
As concerns over Wangchuk’s health grow, a number of political leaders have appealed to Wangchuk to call off the fast. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also backed the protest and urged Wangchuk to become involved with other forms of democratic struggle.
At a press conference held on Tuesday, Kejriwal said Wangchuk was a very important national figure of the country and that Wangchuk's health is a matter of concern for Kejriwal.
"Sonam Wangchuk is an asset to the country. I urge him to end his hunger strike. There are other ways to continue the struggle," Kejriwal said, while also announcing that he would visit Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with the protesters.
Kejriwal repeated AAP’s support for the movement and called on the government to come clean about the alleged examination irregularities.
Akhilesh Yadav also appealed to Wangchuk to prioritize his health, stating that Wangchuk’s life and contributions to environmental protection, education, and democratic principles were too important to be jeopardized in a message sent on social media as well.
"We humbly request and earnestly appeal to Shri Sonam Wangchuk ji to break his fast. His life is invaluable to the whole world because it embodies the same commitment to humanity and the environment as it does to democracy," Yadav wrote.
Despite the increasing appeals of political leaders and supporters, Wangchuk is firm in his position. The message has been the same; the idea is not to stop his fast in the end, but to start dialogue with the government and protest organizers. His health condition is bad, so the pressure on the government and the organizations to find a solution to this problem through talk and engagement is going to continue to mount.
