Activist Sonam Wangchuk's Health Declines on Hunger Strike; CJP Demands Minister's Resignation

Activist Sonam Wangchuk's health deteriorated further on Thursday, the fifth day of his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, with his blood sugar level dropping to 60 and his blood pressure remaining low, according to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has warned that his condition is worsening.

The development came as the CJP's agitation entered its 13th day, with the party announcing a fresh outreach initiative to widen public participation in the protest.

Providing a health update on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed Wangchuk's condition had become increasingly fragile and held the government responsible for any adverse consequences.

"Sonam Wangchuk's health is continuously deteriorating. His sugar level has dropped to 60 and blood pressure is also very low. If anything happens to Sonam sir, the government will be responsible for it," Dipke said in a post on X.

He also reiterated his demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Seeking to broaden the movement, Dipke launched an interaction programme titled "Chai Pe Charcha with Cockroaches" at the protest site, saying the initiative was aimed at gathering suggestions from participants on "how we can make this movement better and bigger".

Alongside Wangchuk's fast, six students affiliated with the All India Students' Association (AISA) continued their indefinite hunger strike from a separate stage at Jantar Mantar.

A day earlier, AISA had expressed concern over the deteriorating health of the fasting students, claiming that JNUSU Joint Secretary Danish's blood sugar level had fallen to 61 mg/dL, while Aameen and Deepak Kumar Verma had been advised by doctors to discontinue their fast because of health concerns.

Meanwhile, CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya is scheduled to visit the protest site later on Thursday to express solidarity with the agitation.

The protest has steadily drawn support from political leaders and civil society activists in recent days. Those who have visited the site include M. A. Baby, Brinda Karat, D. Raja, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Annie Raja, Anjali Bhardwaj and Sagarika Ghose.

The CJP launched the protest on June 20 over alleged irregularities in the examination system, including the conduct of NEET. Dipke has said the agitation will also raise broader issues of public accountability, including concerns related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.