Sonam Wangchuk Ends 26-Day Hunger Strike

Amid NEET Paper Leak Row

Report By Y-Trendz

New Delhi, July 24, 2026 — Prominent education reformist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk broke his 26-day hunger strike late Thursday night, bringing to a close one of the most closely watched

protest actions in India in recent years. The 59-year-old engineer-turned-activist, best known internationally as the inspiration behind the character Phunsukh Wangdu in the Bollywood film "3 Idiots," ended his fast in the presence of Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, along with senior leaders of the Apex Body of Leh Ladakh, doctors and family members.

Wangchuk had been fasting since June 28 in solidarity with India's youth-led "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP) movement, which has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over a series of examination paper leaks, most notably involving the NEET medical entrance test. The protest movement, led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, began as a sit-in at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and has since grown into what observers describe as the most significant public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his third term, driven largely by frustration among young Indians over exam irregularities and high youth unemployment.

A Fast Marked by Health Scares and Detention

Wangchuk's hunger strike took a dramatic turn on July 18, when Delhi Police forcibly removed him from the protest site, 20 days into his fast, and shifted him to a state-run hospital for what officials described as essential medical care ordered by the High Court on doctors' advice. Wangchuk, in a handwritten letter shared from Safdarjung Hospital, characterized the move as "illegal detention," alleging that his freedom of movement, speech and communication had been restricted.

From the hospital, Wangchuk laid out three conditions under which he would end his fast: that the government take accountability for failures in the education system, particularly the NEET paper leaks; that political leaders assure him the paper leak issue would be raised in Parliament; and that senior leaders visit him in person to confirm these commitments, given that his declining health prevented him from joining a planned march on Parliament.

That march, organized by the CJP on the opening day of Parliament's monsoon session on July 20, ended in confrontation, with police caning supporters as thousands attempted to reach Parliament House despite being denied permission to march. The incident drew widespread attention to the movement and intensified pressure on the government to respond.

Government Response and Modi's Intervention

Wangchuk's decision to end his fast came shortly after Prime Minister Modi released a video address on social media platform X, announcing that the government would introduce tougher legislation to curb examination paper leaks. Modi described the issue as "not an ordinary issue" and said the Union Cabinet would take up the matter on Friday, with a bill expected to be introduced in Parliament the following week. Modi also extended good wishes for Wangchuk's recovery, urging him to follow his doctors' advice and regain his health.

In his own message announcing the end of the fast, posted on X late Thursday night, Wangchuk said the decision followed "a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country." He noted that 65 members of Parliament from various political parties had visited him or signed letters urging him to break his fast, and thanked his family for their support throughout the ordeal. He said he would detail the specific conditions of the agreement in a separate video to be released soon, while urging supporters to "stay very vigilant about not allowing violence of any kind anywhere."

Movement Continues Despite Wangchuk's Exit

While Wangchuk has ended his personal fast, the broader protest is set to continue. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, reacting to the news, expressed relief and gratitude for Wangchuk's "extraordinary courage and sacrifice," crediting him with awakening "the conscience of an entire nation." However, Dipke made clear that the party's core demand remains unmet, stating that the Cockroach Janta Party's peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

The NEET paper leak controversy has simmered since May, when allegations first surfaced regarding the integrity of the medical entrance examination, in which lakhs of students across thousands of centres take part annually. The government has previously maintained that there is no evidence of systemic breaches, with Pradhan repeatedly rejecting opposition claims and placing blame on prior administrations for earlier lapses. The Supreme Court had also earlier ruled that there was no evidence the exam process was "vitiated" by systemic breach.

This is not Wangchuk's first extended fast. He has a long history of hunger strikes on causes ranging from Ladakh's statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to environmental protections for the region's fragile mountain ecology, having undertaken a 21-day climate fast in March 2024 and a separate protest fast in Delhi that same year.

With Parliament's monsoon session underway and the Cabinet expected to weigh in on anti-paper-leak legislation, attention now turns to whether the government's promised measures will be enough to satisfy the demands of the CJP movement and the students it represents.

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This report is based on verified news coverage from Reuters, Al Jazeera, Khaleej Times, and other sources as of July 24, 2026.