Activist Sonam Wangchuk is suffering muscle loss and is in "immense pain" but has refused to end his hunger strike, despite appeals from political leaders, public figures and supporters on Tuesday urging him to call off his 17-day fast and asking the government to initiate dialogue.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past 25 days over the NEET issue, unveiled a five-point examination reform charter and claimed support for its agitation was growing across political parties.
As Wangchuk's health continued to deteriorate, leaders including Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appealed to him to end his fast.
Veteran actor Zeenat Aman urged the government to open a dialogue with Wangchuk, saying India should not "sit back and watch one of its greatest minds be sacrificed".
Actor Omi Vaidya, best known for playing Chatur "Silencer" Ramalingam in 3 Idiots, also urged people to pay attention to Wangchuk's deteriorating health, saying he did not want the activist to die.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said Wangchuk had been losing muscle mass and was in "immense pain", adding that the activist had lost 8.5 kg since the start of his fast.
"He has started losing muscle mass and is in immense pain. Like everyone else, I begged him to end his fast. He calmly replied, 'Don't ask me to end my fast. Ask the government why they won't even have a dialogue,'" Dipke said in a post on X.
Addressing a press conference, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi unveiled the five-point examination reform charter, calling for structural changes to India's public examination system.
She alleged that despite repeated paper leaks over the past decade, there was no official database of such incidents and "virtually no accountability", adding that there had not been a single conviction under the Public Examinations Act.
Among its key proposals, the charter seeks replacing the existing law with a Public Examinations (Transparency, Accountability and Candidates' Rights) Act, dissolving the National Testing Agency (NTA) and creating a statutory National Testing Commission.
It also calls for mandatory CAG audits of examination agencies, an independent Examinations Ombudsman, a Students' Rights Charter and a National Aspirants Welfare Fund.
The health of several protesters participating in the hunger strike led by Wangchuk has also deteriorated.
All India Students' Association (AISA) activist Deepak, who was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Monday after his health worsened, was discharged on Tuesday morning.
The organisation said its remaining activists — Neha, Manish and Aameen — continued their indefinite fast at a separate stage at the protest site.
The CJP is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
The organisation has also stepped up preparations for its proposed "Chalo Sansad" march on 20 July, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, and urged supporters to register through its missed-call campaign.
Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said more than 1.3 lakh people had registered their support for the proposed Parliament march through the campaign.
Dipke said Mamata Banerjee spoke to Wangchuk over the phone to enquire about his health, urged him to stay strong and expressed solidarity with the CJP's movement seeking justice for students.
The remainder of the story, comprising attributed statements by Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal, Zeenat Aman, Omi Vaidya and the CJP, reads clearly and does not require editing under your instructions.
