Day 23 of CJP protest: Sonam Wangchuk’s health worsens
Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health declined further on Sunday, on the 15th 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 MP Pushpendra Saroj and former Kerala health minister K K in attendance.
Shailaja and former Kerala ministers K N Balagopal and P Rajeev also extended support to the agitation. 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.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke shared the health update on X. “Day 15 of Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike. When will the government wake up???” he wrote.
Addressing the gathering, 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.”
Meanwhile, 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.
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.
The CJP has been demanding Pradhan’s resignation and Rs 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.
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.
