Sonam Wangchuk hunger strike: Wife Gitanjali J Angmo's visit and an appeal for Wangchuk hours before cops took him to hospital
The following day, as his indefinite hunger strike entered its 21st day on Saturday, Delhi Police shifted him to a hospital amid mounting concerns over his health after nearly three weeks of fasting. According to a statement issued by Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuck is currently stable but weak due to prolonged fasting and dehydration and requires continuous observation.
On Friday, while speaking to India Today's sister website after meeting Wangchuk, Angmo said she conveyed both her own concerns and those of supporters across the country, urging him to end the hunger strike and continue the campaign through other means.
Since beginning his indefinite hunger strike on June 28, the 59-year-old activist has survived only on salt and water while demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in the examination system and the NEET-UG paper leak.
"I have grown weak from the outside but I'm strong from within," he told supporters gathered at Jantar Mantar on Friday, urging them to participate in a protest march planned by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
"Together, we will march peacefully to the parliament and put forward our petitions at the altar of democracy," the activist said. He then joked that if he died before the march, his "ghost would join the march".
Wangchuk’s health had remained under round-the-clock medical supervision throughout the protest, with concerns over his condition intensifying in the days leading up to his hospitalisation.
Meanwhile, our reporter stayed overnight at the CJP protest site to closely observe Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike and the ongoing agitation. Read our ground report here.
The protesters have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding him morally accountable for alleged irregularities in the examination system following the NEET-UG paper leak that led to the cancellation of the medical entrance test earlier this year.
Pradhan has dismissed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its supporters as the "B-team of disruptive elements", while the government has so far not initiated any dialogue with the protesters.
However, calls for the Centre to engage with the agitators have grown louder, with Opposition leaders and members of civil society urging the government to open talks.- EndsPublished By: Shipra ParasharPublished On: Jul 18, 2026 07:54 IST
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