Story perspectives

Hunger Strike Over NEET Leads to Health Decline, Parliament March

7/14/2026

Summary

Sonam Wangchuk Hungerstrike

Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike on 28 June at Jantar Mantar demanding Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over NEET exam irregularities.
By day 17 he lost 8.5 kg, with pressure 109/70 mm Hg and sugar 67 mg/dL, prompting opposition leaders to urge him to stop.
1,800 civil-society figures signed a letter demanding an end to the strike, prompting the Cockroach Janta Party to march to Parliament on 20 July after the government refused dialogue.

Summary

Wangchuk Hungerstrike Silence

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke accused mainstream media of ignoring Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike, saying silence will never be forgiven.
A protest-group video showed police officers trying to stop demonstrators from erecting tarpaulins at Jantar Mantar.
Organisers said heavy rain on July 13-14 forced participants to seek shelter and complicated the sit-in.
The Cockroach Janta Party invited Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and nineteen senior politicians, but most have not issued statements on the protest.

History

Historical Context

On 5 April 2011 Anna Hazare began a hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, forcing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to agree to a 10-member joint committee that drafted the Jan Lokpal anti-corruption bill and sparked nationwide protests. The episode proved that sustained fasting can compel legislative action, a tactic Sonam Wangchuk now employs to demand a minister’s resignation over NEET irregularities.

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Sonam Wangchuk Hungerstrike

Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike on 28 June at Jantar Mantar demanding Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over NEET exam irregularities.
By day 17 he lost 8.5 kg, with pressure 109/70 mm Hg and sugar 67 mg/dL, prompting opposition leaders to urge him to stop.
1,800 civil-society figures signed a letter demanding an end to the strike, prompting the Cockroach Janta Party to march to Parliament on 20 July after the government refused dialogue.

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