Even as activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken to the hospital on Saturday morning (July 18, 2026) as he entered the 21st day of his hunger strike at a protest in Jantar Mantar, called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), at least 21 protesters, from across the country, continued their hunger strike despite deteriorating health conditions, asserting that Mr. Wangchuk’s removal from the site has only strengthened their resolve to continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns as the Union Education Minister.
Also read: Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike highlights on July 18, 2026
Crowds continued to swell on the 28th day of the protest, and volunteers at a medical counter handed out Strepsils and Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) to protesters. As scores of people walked in and out of the site, those on hunger strike stayed in their makeshift tents lined up metres away from the stage at one side.
The tents were brimming with posters, whiteboards full of slogans, bags, clothes, towels and other necessities. The names of those on hunger strike were stuck on boards, along with the number of days that they have been protesting.
All India Students’ Association (AISA) activists Neha, Ameen Amitoj, and Manish Kumar, all Ph.D. scholars from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) and Allahabad University, have been on hunger strike for 21 days.
Protesters on hunger strike have been advised by doctors to rest as much as possible, conserve energy and speak less. However, they put forward their points during press briefings in the peak afternoon heat. Neha said that they would not stop their protest until the “government shivers”.
“We saw how Sonam Wangchuk was picked up by the police, and they tried to pounce upon us, but they could not reach us because people surrounded us,” Manish said.
‘Wangchuk is not alone’
Nitish, 30, who has been on hunger strike for 16 days, originally from Bihar and now working in Delhi, has not returned to work since the indefinite protest began. He met Amjad Khan here, a 25-year-old from Rajasthan, who decided to go on the indefinite hunger strike a day after Mr. Wangchuk began his.
Along with them, Aaditya, a social activist from Uttar Pradesh, has rejoined the hunger strike after being forced to stop after falling ill on July 6. After Mr. Wangchuk was removed from the site, they tied a white patti with “kafan” written on it.
Mr. Nitish said, “We tied it today, and if they have to do anything to Wangchuk sir, they will have to go through us first. And today we are not even drinking water, as a mark of our protest to what happened in the morning,” he said, with chapped lips and firm resolve.
Prathamesh Botwe, 25, a civil service aspirant, arrived at the protest site from Pune on July 16. Along with 22-year-old Shruti Arora, he carried on with his hunger strike, entering day three on Saturday (July 18, 2026).
19-year-old Mayank, a NEET aspirant who also decided to join them, says, “I came here on June 6, then on June 20 and then regularly since June 28, when Mr. Wangchuk joined the protest from my house in UP’s Baraut. We all want change, and that is why we are all here. I will tell my friends to join the march days later.”
Surya Prakash Singh from Bulandshahr is seated beside Ranglal Tanwer from Haryana. The two say that they did not know each other earlier and had met at the site and formed smaller groups. They both said that their families have been calling to “request them to stop the hunger strike”, especially after Mr. Wangchuk was picked up on Saturday (July 18, 2026).
Doctors pointed out that those on hunger strike have been walking through the crowds to the mobile washrooms on the two ends of the site.
Doctors express concern
A few doctors have been voluntarily conducting health check-ups on the protestors. Dr. Tilopa said that the three protesters from AISA are in critical condition and have lost 10% of their body weight each. “Manish and Ameen have bleeding gums, which could be a sign of vitamin C deficiency, liver damage or protein deficiency. Neha’s blood sugar has dropped to dangerously low levels and has been fluctuating. If prolonged, the strike can lead to conditions like seizures, shock, organ failure and various other complications,” she said.
She said that meal plans are being created for them to avoid refeeding syndrome (a potentially fatal condition, caused by rapid initiation of refeeding after a period of undernutrition). However, she added, “I would like them to break their fast, but voluntarily and not by force.”
Published – July 18, 2026 11:10 pm IST
