The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has called for a one-day mass hunger strike on July 16 in solidarity with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and students across the country.
In a post on X, CJP said, “Tomorrow, July 16th, join us for 1-day mass hunger strike in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk and the students of this country.”
Wangchuk’s health continued to deteriorate on Tuesday, with campaigners saying the activist has begun losing muscle mass, is in “immense pain” and has lost 8.5 kg since starting his hunger strike. Despite growing concerns, Wangchuk has refused to end his fast, insisting that the government initiate a dialogue instead.
As concern over his condition mounted, leaders across political parties, 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 Wangchuk to call off his hunger strike.
The CJP, which has been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for the past 25 days over the NEET issue, also unveiled a five-point examination reform charter on Tuesday, claiming support for its agitation was growing across political parties.
Veteran actor Zeenat Aman urged the government to begin talks 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 appealed to the public to pay attention to Wangchuk’s worsening health, saying he did not want the activist to die.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said Wangchuk’s condition had worsened significantly during the 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 wrote in a post on X.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, CJP spokesperson Vaishnavi unveiled the group’s five-point examination reform charter, calling for structural changes to India’s public examination system.
She alleged that despite repeated paper leak incidents over the past decade, there is no official database tracking such cases and “virtually no accountability.” She also claimed that there has not been a single conviction under the Public Examinations Act.
(With inputs from PTI)
