Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk says he has lost 11 kilograms during a 26 day hunger strike but remains alive, as his protest continues to fuel a wider youth movement demanding education reforms in India. Wangchuk, known widely as Sonam sir, has become the central figure in a youth led campaign organized by the Cockroach Janta Party, which is calling for sweeping education reforms and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He was removed from the group’s protest site at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday and taken to a hospital, where he has continued his fast. Despite his removal from the demonstration site, thousands of supporters have kept returning to Jantar Mantar, even after a heavy handed police response to a march toward parliament earlier in the week left numerous protesters and police officers injured. That crackdown has intensified public anger and energized opposition parties, creating a growing political challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Modi has not addressed the protests directly or met with demonstrators, but he issued a statement on social media that many interpreted as an effort to connect with students angered by repeated leaks of exam papers. He wrote that the welfare of the country’s youth matters above all else and said the government would establish fast track courts to deliver swift punishment for those responsible for the leaks. A spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party, Ashutosh Ranka, responded that the government’s plan addressed the aftermath rather than the root cause, saying the movement wants to know why the leaks keep happening and who profits from them. He indicated in a video statement that protesters intend to continue their campaign until their demands are met. Even though Wangchuk is no longer physically present at the protest grounds, his fast has become a symbolic centerpiece of the movement, with demonstrators displaying placards and artwork referencing his hunger strike. Before he was hospitalized, he spent 21 days enduring intense summer heat while consuming only salt and water. Medanta Hospital in Gurugram said in a statement that Wangchuk was admitted to intensive care and is being monitored by a team of specialists. The hospital described his condition as stable and said his vital signs remain within normal ranges, adding that all treatment is being given with his consent. On Wednesday, senior figures including Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with opposition lawmakers, activists and public personalities, again urged Wangchuk to end his fast. Health Minister JP Nadda, who visited the hospital on Tuesday night, said he too had asked the activist to stop and rejoin efforts to guide young people, adding that the government remains willing to discuss the issues he has raised. Wangchuk has so far rejected these appeals. In a video statement recorded from his hospital bed on Wednesday night, he said he wants to end his fast because his work matters to him, but added that he would only do so once the government guarantees no force or retaliation will be used against students. He said he would end the strike immediately if that assurance comes, and would continue if it does not. He also praised the students involved in Monday’s confrontation with police, saying they showed remarkable composure even while being beaten with sticks, and said their restraint under pressure led him to keep going with his fast. Neither Wangchuk’s latest statement nor an earlier letter he sent to government ministers he met on Tuesday mentioned Pradhan’s resignation directly, though the Cockroach Janta Party maintains that the demand has not changed. Dipke told supporters that the protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Pradhan steps down, and said the movement would not let Wangchuk’s sacrifice or the injuries suffered by students go without result. The standoff reflects a broader pattern seen in past protest movements across South Asia, where a single high profile figure’s personal sacrifice becomes a rallying point that sustains momentum long after the initial spark fades. Hunger strikes in particular have a long history in Indian political life as a tool for applying moral pressure on governments, dating back to independence era activism, and their effectiveness often depends on sustained public attention and the government’s willingness to negotiate before a health crisis forces the issue. As the standoff continues, the government faces mounting pressure to address both the immediate demand for accountability over exam paper leaks and the broader question of how education policy is managed, while doctors continue to monitor Wangchuk’s condition inside the hospital.
