The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday announced a day-long hunger strike, slated to be held on Thursday in support of Sonam Wangchuk, who is continuing his indefinite fast in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar amid rising concerns over his rapidly deteriorating health. For the unversed, Wangchuk began his hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over back-to-back exam irregularities inflicting harm on the country’s students. 

The announcement by CJP comes as political leaders, members of the film fraternity and the judiciary monitor developments closely surrounding the ongoing protest. 

CJP extends support to Wangchuk

The CJP, via a post on ‘X’, called upon citizens across the country to participate in the symbolic hunger strike. The post read, “Tomorrow, July 16, join us for a one-day mass hunger strike in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk and the students of this country.”

CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke also changed his profile picture on ‘X’ to an image of Wangchuk and urged supporters to follow suit as a mark of solidarity. The post further read, “To support Sonam Wangchuk, change your display picture.”

Protest linked to NEET row

The CJP has been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET UG 2026 exam. 

Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28, 2026 and has remained on an indefinite fast ever since. The organisation furthermore announced a march to the Parliament on July 20, signalling that its campaign is far from over. 

Leaders, celebrities appeal for end to hunger strike

As Wangchuk’s health is declining, several prominent political leaders have appealed to him to end his fast. Among the ones who have urged him to do so are Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and Aam Aadmi Party’S (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. 

Support also poured in from the entertainment industry. Veteran actor Zeenat Aman appealed to the government to initiate a dialogue with Wangchuk, saying that India should not ‘sit back and watch one of its greatest minds be sacrificed.’

Actor Omi Vaidya, who rose to fame with his role of Chatur Ramalingam in ‘3 Idiots,’ urged people on Tuesday to pay attention to the activist’s health and said he did not want him to lose his life. 

HC takes up PIL

CJP Founder Dipke informed that Wangchuk has lost as much as 8.5 kilograms since the beginning of his indefinite fast, is suffering from significant muscle loss and remains in  ‘immense pain.’

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court (HC) on Wednesday deferred the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning Wangchuk’s health until Thursday. A Bench of the HC, comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia postponed the case after observing that no representative appeared on behalf of the authorities due to the ongoing work abstention by the High Court Bar Association. 

One Rakesh Kumar Saini filed the PIL, terming the situation ‘sad’ and ‘most unfortunate’, contending that a protesting citizen was ‘virtually taking his life’ in front of the whole nation. He also sought directions for the authorities to engage in dialogue with Wangchuk, come to his assistance and, if necessary, administer medical intervention through force-feeding.