Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday launched an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, extending support to the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) ongoing protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET-UG controversy.
A large number of students, youth and supporters assembled at the protest site as Wangchuk began his fast. Several farmer leaders also joined the demonstration, which commenced with a two-minute silence. Before reaching Jantar Mantar, Wangchuk and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Earlier in the day, Dipke claimed on social media platform X that farmer leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab had been placed under house arrest to stop them from participating in the protest. There was no immediate official response to the allegation.
The CJP has been holding a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since June 20, asserting that the controversy extends beyond a single examination and reflects broader concerns about transparency and accountability in India's education system. On Friday, Dipke announced Wangchuk's participation in the agitation under the nationwide "Pradhan Go Back" campaign and appealed to students, teachers, parents, farmer organisations and civil society groups to support the movement.
Dipke accused the Union Education Minister of failing to take responsibility for alleged examination paper leaks and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure his resignation. He also sought compensation of ₹1 crore each for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide and alleged that police had failed to act against those who attacked protest volunteers.
The demonstration comes amid continuing controversy surrounding the NEET-UG examination. Following allegations of a paper leak, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the original exam conducted on May 3 and held a nationwide re-examination on June 21 under enhanced security arrangements.
