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'Take care of your health': India's CJP asks Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast
Protests started in India last month over the leak of medical school entrance exam papers that affected some 2 million students
- PUBLISHED: Wed 22 Jul 2026, 2:25 PM
India's Coacroach Janta Party (CJP) has sent a letter to fasting activist Sonam Wangchuk on Wednesday, calling on him to end his hunger strike, out of fear for his health. "With great respect and gratitude, we request you to please end your fast," the CJP message said.
The CJP protest movement in India gained momentum from the support of the 59-year-old Wangchuk, who began his fast on June 28, but was forcibly moved to a hospital by police on Saturday. On Tuesday, he was moved to a private hospital following a court order in response to a petition from his wife that alleged he had been illegally detained.
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Protests, which started in India last month over the leak of medical school entrance exam papers that affected some 2 million students, grew this week into the biggest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.
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Tens of thousands of young protesters took to the streets of New Delhi on Monday, clashing with police who used tear gas and batons to push them back. The protesters call for the resignation of India's education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leak scandal.
"Your sacrifice has inspired thousands of students across the country. On July 20, young people travelled from different states to stand with you and this movementm" the CJP said in its letter to Wangchuk.
You have shown that this fight is bigger than any one person and that students deserve justice. But right now, we need you to take care of your health
Cjp
The party also shared a message of defiance, vowing to continue its protests against the Indian government. " We promise that this struggle will not end with your fast. We will continue the protests and take this fight forward until our demands for examination justice are met. We will do everything we can to keep it moving," the CJP said.
India's 'cockroach' youth protests
The protests by the self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) began as an online satire and involved only a few hundred young people when they were first launched.
On Wednesday, more than 1,000 protesters gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site of the cockroach movement in Delhi, shouting slogans, waving the Indian flag and braving a drizzle. Media reports said CJP leaders were due to hold a second round of talks with a senior government minister since Monday.
The protests have also spread outside the capital, with demonstrations by youth and opposition groups being held in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu and Ahmedabad.
First reaction from Education Minister
In his first comments on demands of his resignation, Pradhan said that Modi's administration was committed to addressing the concerns of protesting youth and exam reforms, in the latest sign that the government was beginning to respond to growing protests.
"Our government remains 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House," he said in a post on X.
"The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign," he said, referring to Gandhi's protest.
Pradhan, 57, is a senior leader of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party and has been regarded as a rising figure, with his name even mentioned to lead BJP in the past.
A minister since Modi first took office in 2014, he has held the petroleum and natural gas, steel, skill development and education portfolios, becoming education minister in 2021. His father was also a veteran BJP leader and served as a junior federal minister between 1998 and 2004.
Modi and BJP have not responded to demands for his resignation, which analysts say indicates his importance in the party.
The CJP's surge in popularity reflects frustrations among young Indians over issues such as job shortages, as well as exam leaks, which they say happen frequently.
It has also given opposition parties a rare opening to pressure Modi and his BJP, which counts young voters as a core base and has won a series of state elections since a shock result in the 2024 election, when Modi did not win an outright parliamentary majority.
(with inputs from Reuters)
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.