Key Points
- Severe Weight Loss: Sonam Wangchuk’s weight has plummeted to 59.40 kg, marking a total loss of over seven kilograms since his fast commenced on June 28.
- Demands for Resignation: Agitators are demanding structural accountability regarding widespread paper leaks, specifically seeking the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
- Social Media Legal Win: The Delhi High Court ordered the restoration of the Cockroach Janta Party’s banned X account, a move hailed by organizers as a massive success for the movement.
- Multi-Faction Agitation: Student leaders from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) are maintaining parallel hunger strikes at the venue, vowing to continue until transparency is restored.
The ongoing demonstration at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has reached a critical juncture as concerns mount over the physical well-being of renowned education reformer Sonam Wangchuk. According to the latest medical bulletin released on Wednesday morning, Wangchuk has lost more than seven kilograms since launching his indefinite fast, with his weight dropping rapidly to 59.40 kg.
Doctors conducting routine health checkups at the protest site recorded his blood pressure at 103/68 while sitting and 111/73 while lying down. His heart rate is steady at 74 beats per minute, blood sugar is at 75, and oxygen saturation levels are hovering safely at 98 percent. While medical teams have noted that his hydration levels are currently stable and he remains mentally sharp, the substantial weight drop over 11 days has caused deep worry among supporters.
The Roots of the Protest: The NEET Controversy
The agitation, which entered its 19th day on Wednesday, was initiated on June 20 by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a digital satirical group that transitioned into a grassroots student and youth pressure organization. The movement sparked in response to systemic failures, deep institutional corruption, and recurring paper leak scandals, most notably surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET, UG) and central board examinations.
Protesters emphasize that recurring paper leaks have devastated the aspirations of millions of honest students, inflicting intense psychological distress upon families across the country. The central demands of the assembly are multifaceted, including absolute transparency in competitive testing frameworks, stringent punitive action against printing and distribution cartels, and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
High Court Intervention and Broader Mobilization
The movement secured a major legal victory when the Delhi High Court ordered the immediate restoration of the CJP’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, which had previously been restricted. Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, welcomed the judicial intervention, calling it a landmark victory for the freedom of digital assembly and democratic dissent.
Jantar Mantar has effectively transformed into a unified hub for student grievances. A short distance from Wangchuk’s platform, multiple student leaders belonging to the All India Students’ Association (AISA) are conducting their own indefinite fast. Despite the extreme summer heat in the capital, the student unions and independent civil groups have declared that the hunger strike will persist until the central government implements verifiable reforms to safeguard India’s national examination architecture.
