'I Am Not in Good Shape':

Sonam Wangchuk Enters Day 19 of Indefinite Hunger Strike

Report By Y-Trendz

New Delhi — Educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk entered the 19th day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, as doctors and supporters raised growing alarm over his

rapidly deteriorating health. Wangchuk, 59, has been fasting since June 28, and has reportedly told those around him that he is "not in good shape," even as he continues to resist mounting pressure from doctors, politicians and celebrities to call off the protest.

A Fast in Solidarity, Now a National Flashpoint

Wangchuk's hunger strike began as an act of solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a Gen Z-led political movement founded by 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke that has rapidly gained traction on social media, drawing more than 22 million followers on Instagram within days of its launch in May. The CJP has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over what it says are repeated examination irregularities and paper leaks, including one connected to the NEET undergraduate medical entrance exam in June that affected millions of students across the country. Wangchuk, an engineer-turned-activist whose life partly inspired a character in the Bollywood film "3 Idiots," joined the CJP's sit-in at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site near India's Parliament, and has remained there ever since.

The protest has become one of the most prominent youth-driven demonstrations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in years, with the CJP describing it as a rare and sustained show of defiance during Modi's twelve-year tenure.

Health Steadily Declining

Health bulletins issued through the strike's course have tracked a steady physical decline. By the 11th day, doctors recorded that Wangchuk had lost more than 7 kilograms, with his weight down to 59.4 kilograms and his blood pressure measured at 103/68 while sitting. By day 18, his weight loss had climbed past 8.4 kilograms according to some reports and as high as 8.9 kilograms according to his doctor, with blood pressure falling further to around 105/76. CJP organizers have said Wangchuk is experiencing significant muscle loss and severe pain, and in a photo shared on social media showing him surrounded by medics, the group said his health "continues to deteriorate."

Speaking to the Reuters news agency while lying on a mattress on the protest stage, Wangchuk said he was too weak to talk at length, though he indicated earlier that he intended for the fast to continue for up to six weeks if necessary, "unless he died first." Dipke, the CJP founder, has said organizers have repeatedly tried to convince Wangchuk to withdraw the strike, but that he remains adamant about continuing, instead instructing volunteers to keep preparing for a planned march to Parliament. Dipke has voiced suspicion that the government is content to let protesters on hunger strike face the ultimate consequence rather than negotiate.

Wangchuk is not the only demonstrator to suffer health consequences. A university student who joined the fast in solidarity fainted earlier this week and was hospitalized, and members of a separate student group fasting alongside Wangchuk have also reported serious complications, with at least one activist admitted to a Delhi hospital.

Legal and Political Pressure Mounts

The deteriorating health situation has spilled into the courts. A public interest litigation filed in the Delhi High Court has asked authorities to intervene urgently, arguing that Wangchuk's condition is worsening rapidly and that he could die within days without medical care. The petition asks that he be hospitalized and, if necessary, force-fed. The Delhi High Court, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, has sought responses from the central and Delhi governments and listed the matter for an urgent hearing.

Opposition political leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray and Arvind Kejriwal, have publicly voiced support for Wangchuk's cause, while several celebrities have issued personal appeals urging him to end the fast. Actor Zeenat Aman called on the government to open a peaceful dialogue rather than allow the standoff to continue, while singer Chinmayi Sripaada and actor Soni Razdan have both pleaded directly with Wangchuk to prioritize his health and step back from the brink.

What Comes Next

Despite the growing chorus of concern, Wangchuk and the CJP have shown no sign of backing down. The group has called for a mass one-day solidarity hunger strike among students nationwide and is pressing ahead with plans for a "Chalo Sansad" march to Parliament on July 20, timed to coincide with the opening of the Monsoon Session, in an effort to escalate pressure on the government to negotiate before the situation reaches a breaking point.