The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan would be "directly responsible" if anything happened to activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose health has deteriorated during his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
"If anything happens to Sonam sir, Dharmendra Pradhan will be directly responsible," CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said on X.
Earlier in the day, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said Wangchuk's sugar level had "dropped to 66 (below normal)" on the third day of his hunger strike.
Wangchuk on Sunday launched an indefinite hunger strike at the CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.
Dipke said the second Jantar Mantar protest, which began on June 20 amid the NEET paper leak controversy and other exam-related issues, would go beyond concerns over the education system and also focus on broader questions of accountability, including the electoral process.
What did Wangchuk say?
Explaining why he decided to join the protest, Wangchuk said education had remained a cause close to his heart for the past four decades and that he could not stay silent when students voiced concerns about the system.
If anything happens to Sonam sir, Dharmendra Pradhan will be directly responsible. https://t.co/Cz8OpyNFiK
— Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) June 30, 2026
"Education and environment are my issues, truth and peace are my path, justice is my destination," the 59-year-old activist said.
Wangchuk further said he had been involved in the movement in Ladakh over the past five to six years to protect the region's environment and preserve its cultural heritage. He stressed that greater accountability was needed in both the education and environmental sectors.
"I am sitting here with both these issues," he remarked.
Referring to the protest, Wangchuk said that in the absence of accountability, even dialogue failed to produce results, leaving peaceful protest as the only democratic option.
"When there is no accountability, even when there is dialogue, we are forced to take the only way possible in a democracy — peaceful protest, and we will do that," he said.
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) after protests demanding statehood for Ladakh turned violent. He was released from Jodhpur prison in March 2026 after spending nearly six months in custody, following the revocation of the NSA by the authorities.
The activist also appealed to the government to respond with sensitivity, saying the situation could have been prevented if the concerns had been addressed earlier.
'Never make anyone bigger than the issue': Dipke
Meanwhile, Dipke urged demonstrators not to make the agitation centred around any individual after some participants raised slogans in his support.
"Why do we make one person bigger than the issue in our country? We have made one person bigger than all issues, institutions and even faith. This is your responsibility. Never make anyone bigger than the issue," he said.
The protest drew students, members of civil society and farmer leaders, with the gathering swelling to thousands by the evening.
Before beginning his indefinite fast, Wangchuk, accompanied by Abhijeet Dipke, visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The demonstration commenced with participants observing a two-minute silence.
Wangchuk also lauded the protesters for sustaining the agitation despite the intense heat and urged people to turn it into a community-led movement by observing at least a one-day hunger strike.
