Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday began an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in support of the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET-UG controversy.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly students and youth, gathered at the protest site as Wangchuk commenced his fast. Several farmer leaders were also present. The protest began with a two-minute silence. Before launching the hunger strike, Wangchuk and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke visited Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
On Sunday morning, Dipke alleged in a post on X that several farmer leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab had been placed under house arrest to prevent them from reaching Jantar Mantar.
The CJP, which began as a digital satirical outfit, has been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in examinations. The party has maintained that the issue goes beyond a single examination and reflects deeper concerns over transparency and accountability in the country's education system.
On Friday, Dipke had announced that Wangchuk would join the agitation from Sunday and launch an indefinite fast as part of a nationwide "Pradhan Go Back" campaign. Appealing to students, parents, teachers, farmer unions and civil society groups to gather at Jantar Mantar, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure Pradhan's resignation.
"It has been a week, and Dharmendra Pradhan has not taken any responsibility for the paper leaks," Dipke had said."It is not too late. Pradhan should resign because the blood of those students is on his hands... Prime Minister Modi should ensure that Pradhan steps down, otherwise he would be considered directly responsible for the deaths of students," he had said.
Dipke also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide and accused police of failing to act against those who allegedly attacked volunteers associated with the protest.
The protest comes amid continuing controversy over alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, including a paper leak that led the National Testing Agency (NTA) to cancel the original examination held on May 3 and conduct a nationwide re-examination on June 21 under heightened security arrangements.
(With inputs from PTI)