Sonam Wangchuk hospitalized after 21 days on Delhi hunger strike

Police moved Sonam Wangchuk to hospital against his will after his condition worsened on the 21st day of his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The fast began over demands for education accountability and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Wangchuk, the Indian activist and education reformer, began the indefinite fast on June 28, 2026. By July 14 he had already gone 17 days without food, and by July 16 he was on day 19, as calls mounted for him to stop over fears for his safety. BBC News put his weight loss at 11kg, or 24lb, after 26 days on hunger strike, and he was “still alive.”

The protest centered on alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam paper leak case, with Wangchuk and his supporters pressing for Pradhan’s resignation and for formal accountability in India’s education system. Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP founder, was one of the most visible figures at the site, while leaders of the so-called cockroach movement said Pradhan had promised talks on their demands. Congress also urged Wangchuk to end his fast, but kept up its own call for the minister to step down.

Wangchuk had said he would end the strike if Parliament devoted its session to education accountability and if no legal action was taken against protesters who demonstrated on July 20.

On July 19, his wife, Gitanjali Angmo, asked a court to move him to a private hospital, and on July 21 the Delhi High Court expressed concern over his condition and was set to hear the plea. After clashes in Delhi injured 180 people, youth protesters kept mobilizing, while India’s education minister promised reforms and debate.