Delhi Court Orders Health Checks for Sonam Wangchuk After 19-Day Fast
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jul 16
Delhi Court Orders Health Checks for Sonam Wangchuk After 19-Day Fast
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jul 16
Summary
19 days into his indefinite fast, Sonam Wangchuk has survived on salt water alone, lost more than 9 kg and triggered a Delhi High Court order for government health monitoring and treatment if needed.
Wangchuk, 59, is backing the online satirical Cockroach Janta Party's push for education reforms after India's exam leak scandal, with supporters also demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Doctors warn prolonged fasting can quickly become a medical emergency, with muscle breakdown, electrolyte imbalance and dangerous complications when food is reintroduced.
India's political culture gives such protests unusual force: Gandhi undertook at least 15 major fasts, while later hunger strikes by Anna Hazare and Irom Sharmila showed both their mobilizing power and uncertain results.
That history also frames the debate over Wangchuk's protest, as admirers cast fasting as moral self-sacrifice while critics from B.R. Ambedkar onward argue it can bypass constitutional politics and become coercive.
Will an activist's hunger strike finally force accountability for the exam leak that has shattered millions of students' futures?
With a national icon's life at risk, can India's broken exam system, which has already led to student deaths, actually be fixed?
India’s NEET-UG 2026 Scandal: Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike, Cockroach Janta Party Protests, and the Youth Uprising for Exam Reform
Overview
As of July 16, 2026, Sonam Wangchuk continues his hunger strike despite his rapidly deteriorating health, drawing widespread concern and calls from public figures like Shashi Tharoor for him to end his fast. Wangchuk insists he is strong enough to continue, stating his core health remains stable. The situation has prompted the Delhi High Court to intervene, emphasizing the need for regular medical checks and highlighting the seriousness of his condition. This crisis has intensified public attention on the protest movement, underscoring the urgency of the demands and the growing pressure on authorities to respond.