Ask the Govt Why They Won't Have a Dialogue": Sonam Wangchuk's Health Deteriorates on Day 17 of NEET Hunger Strike
NEW DELHI — The ongoing youth agitation over the NEET examination irregularities has reached a critical and highly sensitive juncture. On Tuesday, July 14, the health of renowned climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk severely deteriorated as his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar entered its 17th consecutive day.
Despite mounting medical concerns and desperate appeals from some of India's most prominent civil society members to call off the fast, Wangchuk remains resolute in his demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The alarming update on Wangchuk's physical condition was shared by Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the youth-led political movement spearheading the Jantar Mantar sit-in. The CJP's overarching protest has now been active for 24 days.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Dipke revealed the severe toll the fast has taken on the 59-year-old activist. As of Monday, Wangchuk had already lost 8.25 kg. Dipke noted that Wangchuk "has started losing muscle mass and is in immense pain."
Dipke shared a poignant exchange between himself and the fading activist. “Like everyone else, I begged him to end his fast," Dipke wrote. "He calmly replied, 'Don’t ask me to end my fast. Ask the govt why they won’t even have a dialogue.'"
Medical bulletins indicate that Wangchuk's vital parameters are dropping into dangerous territory, with his latest blood pressure recorded at 107/70 mmHg and his blood glucose level plummeting to a critical 67 mg/dL.
The escalating medical emergency prompted an urgent joint statement from a coalition of eminent citizens, including Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, and acclaimed economist Jayati Ghosh.
While extending their full and unwavering support to the protesters' demands for accountability in the education sector, the signatories desperately pleaded with Wangchuk and the protesting youth to prioritize their survival.
“We salute your sense of purpose, the determination and courage with which you are spearheading this movement for students and youth across the country,” the joint statement read.
Highlighting the government's apparent apathy, the group urged an immediate end to the hunger strike: “We request you to please consider ending this hunger strike immediately in the interests of the longer and more difficult struggle ahead. This battle is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need you, your strength and leadership in the days to come. We worry that their [the government's] negligence in responding to your demands will only worsen the already fragile state of health that many of you are in.”
Other notable signatories of the appeal included academics Anuradha Chenoy, Nivedita Menon, Tanika Sarkar, and Aditya Nigam, alongside filmmaker Sanjay Kak and feminist activist Madhu Bhushan.
The fears voiced by the civil society group are already materializing on the ground. On Monday, AISA activist Deepak, who had been fasting alongside Wangchuk since June 28, was urgently admitted to RML Hospital after his health rapidly collapsed.
Despite the physical toll, the CJP is refusing to let the momentum die. The joint statement also amplified the CJP's call to action, urging the citizens of Delhi to participate in a massive proposed march to Parliament on July 20.
This march is strategically timed to coincide with the commencement of the highly anticipated monsoon session of Parliament, guaranteeing that the NEET paper leak fiasco and the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation will dominate the legislative agenda.
The government's continued silence in the face of Sonam Wangchuk's deteriorating health is a dangerous political gamble. Wangchuk is a globally respected figure, and allowing a peaceful, democratic hunger strike over structural corruption (the NEET scam) to result in a medical tragedy would trigger unprecedented national outrage. The CJP has successfully managed to keep the education crisis in the national spotlight for 24 days. With the Parliament's monsoon session just around the corner, the ruling administration must abandon its stubbornness and initiate a dialogue. As Arundhati Roy and Naseeruddin Shah rightly pointed out, fighting systemic rot is a marathon, and the youth need their leaders alive to run it.
(With inputs from PTI)