Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday began a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, where the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has been holding a protest since June 20, seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations.
Speaking exclusively with The Tribune, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed that around 500 farmers had been placed under house arrest. He also clarified that no members were planning to undertake a hunger strike.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly youth and students, gathered at Jantar Mantar as Wangchuk began his fast. Several farmer and khap leaders were also present at the protest site. The protest began with a two-minute silence. Before starting the hunger strike, Wangchuk and Dipke visited Rajghat and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Dipke said he would not join the hunger strike because of migraine-related health concerns. Instead, members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) have announced that they will sit on an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with Wangchuk.
Wangchuk said, “I have been forced to sit here, I am not doing this happily. I am sitting on a fast in support of both issues. Many people ask me, you were doing a movement in Ladakh, why are you with CJP now. Education, which is the issue here, has been close to my heart for the last 40 years, since I was a student.”
“When there is no accountability, we are forced to take the only way possible in a democracy—peaceful protest, and we will do that,” added Wangchuk.
“I wish the government had shown sensitivity, we would not have had to go through this and sit here in such heat,” he said.
Dipke has in the past appealed to farmers, students and organisations to join the protest and support the call for accountability over alleged irregularities in the examination system, including medical entrance test NEET.
On Sunday morning, he said on X that several farmers’ leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab were being placed under house arrest to prevent them from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Ashutosh Ranka, official spokesperson of CJP, told The Tribune, “Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni is expected to join the agitation tomorrow. He came here earlier to show us the way and has promised his support for the cause we are demanding.”
The CJP had started its protest at Jantar Mantar on June 20, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. During the course of the protest, Dipke had alleged that the issue was not limited to a single examination but reflected wider concerns over transparency and trust in the education system.
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Speaking at Jantar Mantar, Sonam Wangchuk said he had been hearing that the government was now willing to engage in talks on the Ladakh issue. “After I started this agitation, I have been hearing that the government wants to talk to me on the Ladakh front,” Wangchuk said. He also referred to reports of a possible Cabinet reshuffle, suggesting that it could indicate the government was responding to public sentiment. “I have also been hearing about things like a Cabinet reshuffle. If that is true, then I guess the government is listening to the voice of the people,” he said. Emphasising the importance of responsive governance, Wangchuk added, “I always say that a government becomes great when it is empathetic. A government that never listens to its people may be cruel, but that is never an achievement in a democracy.”
June 28, 2026 7:09 pm
Speaking exclusively to The Tribune, Dipke said, “We have information that around 500 farmers have been put under house arrest because they were willing to join us.” He also clarified that no members are planning to undertake a hunger strike at present. “We are not going on a hunger strike. No members are planning one,” Dipke said. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/around-500-farmers-under-house-arrest-to-prevent-them-from-joining-our-protest-abhijeet-dipke
June 28, 2026 6:19 pm
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) national spokesperson Anish Gawande joined the protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, becoming the first person from the opposition to join the agitation in solidarity with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the CJP. Speaking at the protest site, Gawande said, “Apart from being a national spokesperson of the party, I am also a youth. This is my ideology, whether the party believes in it or not.” He reiterated the demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, saying, “Dharmendra Pradhan has to resign, otherwise there will be protests everywhere, every day.” Gawande also claimed that several opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), DMK and NCP (SP), have extended support to the CJP-led movement.
June 28, 2026 4:50 pm
A protester identified as Mannu, was detained by Delhi Police for allegedly carrying a mask bearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face. He has since been released, however, the mask has not been returned to him.
June 28, 2026 3:35 pm
Sarv Khaap coordinator Om Prakash Dhankhar warns of a major agitation by farmer leaders from Monday, saying he is in constant touch with farmer leaders, including Rakesh Tikait.
June 28, 2026 3:34 pm
“It has been so many days since we started protesting for our demands. More than 20 students have committed suicide, but the government remains numb and has done nothing so far. Instead, they chose to label us as terrorists,” he alleged. On the future course of the agitation, Dipke said the immediate focus remained on securing the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “First let Pradhan’s resignation come in, then we will present our next set of demands,” he said.
June 28, 2026 3:34 pm
Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the protest at Jantar Mantar, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke described the agitation as his “Swadesh moment” and called upon the youth of the country to actively participate in the movement. “This is my Swadesh moment indeed,” Dipke said. “The only message I want to give to the youth of this country is that it is time to come out and join us,” he said.
June 28, 2026 3:23 pm
“I have been compelled by the government to undertake this hunger strike as none of our demands have been fulfilled. I believe it is better to sacrifice myself for a good cause, and therefore I have decided to continue this hunger strike for an indefinite period,” says Wangchuk.
June 28, 2026 1:52 pm
Khap leader Atar Singh Khadyan, addressing the gathering at Jantar Mantar, asked the crowd: “Has youth ever stopped? Can you stop without winning this battle?” He said, “This government bowed down after taking lives of 750 farmers, so it is not just about farmers.” Targeting the government, he added, “This government is worse than the dead. Why is the police here with full force, to repeat the same thing? A girl’s father here was injured; isn’t this peak harassment by police?”
June 28, 2026 1:47 pm
Khap Panchayat members and farm leaders were present at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. “We are not just giving this turban to Dipke, but this is a step to pass on the baton to the younger generation,” said Om Prakash Dhankhar, convener of Sarv Khaap.
June 28, 2026 1:05 pm
Sonam Wangchuk and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke visit Rajghat ahead of the activist’s indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar. They were accompanied by other members of the organisation, including spokespersons Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Vijeta Dahiya.
June 28, 2026 11:01 am
Sonam Wangchuk is expected to reach the protest site around 11 am and join the agitation, which has been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since June 20.
June 28, 2026 10:54 am
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which started as a digital satirical outfit and has been holding a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since June 20, has been pressing for Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in examinations and the NEET paper leak controversy. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday said the government was not concerned about the future of the youth and appealed to students to raise their voice against the issue. As part of the campaign demanding Pradhan’s resignation, educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk will join the protest at Jantar Mantar from Sunday and begin an indefinite fast.
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia
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