India’s Wangchuk urged to end hunger strike over paper leak | Objections

Sonam Wangchuk has been fasting in New Delhi since June 28 in association with the Cockroach Janta Party to demand the resignation of the education minister.

A prominent Indian official who is calling for the resignation of the education minister over the leak of exam papers has entered the 17th day of a hunger strike as his condition worsens, prompting opposition leaders to pressure him to end his hunger strike.

Sonam Wangchuk has been fasting at a protest site in central New Delhi since June 28.

The fast is in collaboration with the founder of India’s Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is preparing Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign in May which affected millions of students.

The protests taking place in the Indian capital at Jantar Mantar near the parliament, are a rare demonstration against the 12-year rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

CJP, founded by 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke, has captured the imagination of India’s youth on Instagram, gaining 22 million followers within days of its launch in May.

Wangchuk, 59, lying on a white mattress on stage in front of a small audience, told Reuters he was too weak to speak. He said in the past his fast would last six weeks unless he died first.

In a photo posted on X where Wangchuk can be seen surrounded by medics, the CJP said he had lost 8.5kg (19lbs) of weight since Tuesday and his “health is getting worse”.

“We have been trying to convince Boss Sonam to end her hunger, but she is determined to continue,” Dipke said in between talking to viewers and YouTubers.

“Sonam sir is asking us to continue planning the march to the parliament on July 20. I see that the government wants Sonam sir and other people who are on hunger strike to be killed.”

A young man who was also at risk of starvation at the protest site collapsed on Monday and was taken to hospital.

Several opposition leaders also asked Wangchuk, the engineer-turned-activist who inspired a character in the blockbuster Bollywood film, ⁠3 Idiots, to end his fast.

“His life is universally valued because it embodies a commitment to humanity and the environment that is as profound as his commitment to democracy,” Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, wrote on X.

Pradhan, his ministry and a senior government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.

The CJP describes itself as standing for “lazy, ineffective, and always right”. The rapid increase in Internet addiction reflects frustration among India’s youth, who are said to make up more than half of the country’s 1.42 billion people.

India’s unemployment rate is 3.1 percent in 2025 for people aged 15 and above, government projections showed. This represents about 10 percent among 15- to 29-year-olds, rising to 13.6 percent in urban areas.

Young people have also been angered by the leak of question papers, which led to the cancellation of college exams taken by 2.3 million people. It finally happened last month.