Wangchuk’s health is deteriorating; CJP blames police attack

Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health deteriorated on the fifth day of his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Thursday (July 2, 2026), with his blood sugar dropping to 60 and blood pressure remaining low, even as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) claimed that the police attacked students who were trying to set up a fresh library at the CPI instead of the Liberation General protest. Minister Dipankar Bhattacharya and RTI activist Nikhil Dey.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X that Mr Wangchuk’s condition was “continually deteriorating” and warned that the government would be held responsible if anything happened to him.

“The health condition of Sonam Wangchuk is steadily deteriorating. His sugar level has come down to 60 and his blood pressure is also very low. If anything happens, Mr. Sonam, the government will be responsible,” Mr. Dipke said, reiterating the demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Mr. Dipke also held an interaction with the protesters called “Chai Pe Charcha with Cockroaches” and said the aim was to get feedback on “how we can improve and scale this movement”.

“Suspend a police officer”

Later that day, Mr. Dipke claimed on X that the Delhi police assaulted two youths for trying to set up a library at the protest site and threw away books, including books on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bhagat Singh.

He demanded the suspension of Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajay Sharma, saying the officer had insulted two historical figures and questioned why the police had cracked down on students “who wanted people to just read books at the protest site”.

Mr Dipke also alleged that the police later asked the students for proof that they had been assaulted.

Mr Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J Angmo also visited the protest site during the day.

Six students associated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA) continued their indefinite hunger strike from a separate stage at Jantar Mantar.

AISA said in a statement that the condition of the fasting students worsened, with blood sugar levels plummeting. He said that Dan’s blood sugar dropped to 50 mg/dL, Deepak Kumar Verma’s to 59 mg/dL, while Manish and Aameen recorded 63 mg/dL each and Neha and Hrishikesh 68 mg/dL.

According to the organization, most of the students were in danger of losing consciousness, but said they would continue their fast until Mr. Pradhan stepped down.

“national problem”

Addressing the rally, Mr. Bhattacharya said the protest had become a national issue regarding the future of India’s youth and called for broader unity against authoritarianism.

“We are not seeking resignation because we like it. We are seeking resignation because there should be some accountability,” he said.

Recalling how former railway ministers, including Lal Bahadur Shastri and Nitish Kumar, had resigned in the past by accepting moral responsibility, Mr. Bhattacharya said, “Now the railway minister has become a winch.” Calling for wider solidarity, he said: “We need a solidarity today so that those who fight for the climate stand with the youth, the youth stand with the workers, the workers stand with the farmers and we all stand together against authoritarianism.” He also alleged that the ruling dispensation was treating the Constitution as a “dead document” while “it is alive to us”, and described Mr Pradhan’s resignation as only a small part of the larger democratic struggle.

Mr. Dey, who also visited the protest, recalled spending several nights at Jantar Mantar during the Right to Information (RTI) and Employment Guarantee Act campaign, describing the place as a “home” for the movement of people.

“Jantar Mantar is the people’s parliament. People are in the streets and they are asking for one thing – hear our voice,” he said, congratulating the protesters for “bringing back the voice of this place”.

Paralleling the RTI movement’s demand for accountability for public expenditure, Mr Dey said the protesters were similarly seeking accountability for investigative irregularities.

“Back then they asked, ‘Enter the bill from our money’. Today you ask, ‘Enter the NEET paper bill’,” he said.

The crowd erupted into cheers when Mr. Wangchuk appeared at the protest site and supporters chanted slogans of solidarity.

The CJP protest began on June 20 over alleged irregularities in the examination system, including NEET.

The agitation has received support in recent days from several political leaders and civil society members, including CPI(M) general secretary MA Baba, CPI(M) senior leader Brinda Karat, CPI general secretary D. Raj, social activist Yogendra Yadav, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, CPI leader Annie Raj, transparency activist Anjali MP Sagar and the GMC.

Published – 02 Jul 2026 19:14 IST