Jantar Mantar protest updates: Opposition support grows as Wangchuk’s hunger strike continues on day 20

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“The medical team stated that Sonam Wangchuk continues to be under 24-hour medical vigilance, with his health being monitored closely,” the CJP said

Updated - July 18, 2026 04:00 am IST

Congress MP Pawan Khera visited Sonam Wanghchuk at Jantar Mantar. | Photo Credit: Congress Media Department

Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday (July 20) asserted that he would “stay alive till July 20 at any cost”, even as his indefinite hunger strike entered its 20th day amid a warning from doctors that his prolonged fast has reached a critical stage.

Addressing supporters at the protest site, Mr. Wangchuk acknowledged his weakening physical condition but said his resolve remained unshaken.

Also read | Voices from Opposition, film industry rally in Wangchuk’s support

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has agreed to hear on Monday (July 20, 2026) a PIL against the alleged “intrusive surveillance” by police of Cockroach Janta Party protesters at Jantar Mantar. The plea by former JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh has challenged the installation and operation of a permanent surveillance tower and systematic photography and videography of protesters by the Delhi Police.

Watch | From ice stupas to hunger strikes: The journey of Sonam Wangchuk

Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health condition has entered a critical stage due to his prolonged fast and the next phase could be alarming and his organs could get affected, doctors warned on Thursday (July 16) as appeals came in from several quarters to call off his hunger strike.

Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday said he has lost “nearly 20% of his body” during his indefinite hunger strike but remained resolute, asserting that if governments could fall over rising onion prices, seeking accountability for students could also bring political change.

In a video message shared at the end of the 20th day of his fast, Wangchuk urged people to join the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed Parliament march on July 20 in large numbers, saying public participation was the movement’s biggest strength.

“Yes, I am still alive. Twenty per cent of my body is gone. After fats, muscles are gone. After that, organs will go. Finally, the brain. The time has not come yet,” Mr. Wangchuk said.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk lost 350 grams in weight and was experiencing mild dehydration on Friday (July 26, 2026), his physician Satish Lamba said, according to a statement issued by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Mr. Wangchuk has entered the 20th day of his indefinite hunger strike demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Opposition support grows as Wangchuk’s hunger strike continues on day 20Support for activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike intensifies as high-profile visitors rally for change in education reform.

Academics, filmmakers and civil society activists appealed to Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike, calling him “our collective conscience”.

The joint appeal had over 60 signatories, including Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, authors Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai and filmmakers Zoya Akhtar, Honey Trehan and Vishal Bharadwaj.

“Sonam Wangchuk -- on the 20th excruciating day of his hunger strike -- is our collective conscience, a great protector and ally of the environment and of young people in India.

Over 160 prominent citizens from various walks of life in Assam, including litterateurs, academics, poets, journalists and retired government officials, appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite fast, saying that “compassion or civility” cannot be expected from a “wooden-hearted and power-driven” dispensation.

They claimed that Wangchuk has exposed the “heartlessness and insensitivity” of those in power by not responding to his protest.

The health of three All India Students’ Association (AISA) activists, who are on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar to protest alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, deteriorated further, with doctors advising one of them to be hospitalised immediately due to severe hypoglycaemia.

The student organisation said the three activists have completed 20 days of hunger strike, even as the Centre remained unresponsive to their demands.