Health fears grow as fasting Indian activist loses 8.2kg
- Sonam Wangchuk on 16th day of hunger strike at Jantar Mantar: “I’m weak outside, strong inside”; vows to continue.
- Health bulletin: lost 8.2kg (18lb); blood pressure 107/70; sugar level 67; supporters urge him to stop.
- Protest led by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demands Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign after medical exam paper leak.
- Wangchuk joined protest on 29 June; several others, including students, also on hunger strike; one hospitalized.
- Pradhan has refused to resign, calling CJP “the B‑team of disruptive elements.”
- Wangchuk: Ladakhi engineer, educationist and climate activist; inventor of “ice stupa”; Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2018); inspired Three Idiots.
- He was arrested last October, spent 170 days in detention; charges later dropped.
- Hundreds gather at Jantar Mantar despite intense heat (38°C, real feel ~46°C); volunteers provide medical aid and support.
“I’m weak from the outside, but I’m strong from inside.” Those were the quiet, resolute words of Sonam Wangchuk as he marked the 16th day of an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The 59‑year‑old educationist and climate innovator—thin, frail and sunburned from long hours under the summer sky—spoke to the BBC on Monday, insisting he would carry his protest to its logical end despite growing health concerns.
A health bulletin released that morning said Wangchuk had lost 8.2kg (18lb), his blood pressure was 107/70, and his blood sugar had dropped to 67. “I have to take what I’ve begun to its logical conclusion,” he told reporters, invoking a moral certainty rooted in the Gandhian tradition he says he follows.
The hunger strike is part of a larger protest initiated by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online satirical movement demanding educational reform. The immediate trigger was the cancellation of a major medical entrance exam in early May after a paper leak. The CJP and its supporters say Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign and take moral responsibility for the breach; Pradhan has dismissed the movement as “the B‑team of disruptive elements” and refused to step down.
Wangchuk joined the CJP’s sit‑in on 29 June and quickly became a moral anchor for the demonstration. He is no stranger to public causes. Born and raised in Ladakh, the mechanical engineer turned educator built a reputation for practical, community‑focused solutions to climate challenges. His invention of the “ice stupa,” an artificial, cone‑shaped glacier that stores winter water for spring irrigation, has been hailed globally. Wangchuk received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 and was widely credited as the inspiration for the Bollywood hit Three Idiots.
His public profile—academic credibility, grassroots activism and even television appearances—has amplified the protest’s reach. Hundreds have kept vigil at Jantar Mantar despite sweltering heat. On Monday the temperature hit 38°C, with the heat index near 46°C, yet crowds continued to gather day and night to show solidarity. Several other hunger strikers, including student activists, are joined him; one was hospitalized midweek after a sharp deterioration in health.
Wangchuk’s recent legal history also colours the present moment. He was arrested in October last year on accusations of inciting protests, spending 170 days in detention before charges were dropped. That episode, he and his supporters say, only hardened his commitment to non‑violent dissent and to pushing for accountability in India’s education system.
At Jantar Mantar, the scene is a mix of prayer, speeches, and quiet care: volunteers bringing water and shade, medical volunteers checking vitals, and young people taking turns to sit with the strikers. For many, Wangchuk embodies a larger frustration with systemic failures—exam integrity, transparency, and the perceived unresponsiveness of authorities. For others, he is a symbol: a pragmatic idealist willing to risk his health to wake a conscience.