Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke speaks during a protest seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over voter roll deletions at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, Dadar, in Mumbai on October 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Sonam Wangchuk broke his fast in the presence of two Union Ministers, says the co-convenor of the Leh Apex Body. Photo: Special Arrangement

The 21-year-old woman, who was critically injured during the police action at the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) July 20 protest, has been taken off ventilator support, with doctors at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) saying she is now conscious, breathing on her own and responding appropriately to commands.

Sakshi, a Chhattarpur Extension resident, sustained injuries to her face, chest and neck and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She was at the protest on Monday (July 20) with her cousin, who also got injured in her leg.

The patient is conscious, responding appropriately to commands, and her MRI scans of the brain and spine are normal, hospital authorities said.

She is currently the only patient admitted to RML Hospital in connection with the incident, with all necessary treatment and continuous monitoring being provided, they added.

PTI

More than 118 police personnel, including several senior officers, were injured and around 70 protesters were detained yesterday, as Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) “Sansad Chalo” protest march turned violent in the New Delhi area, police said.

Delhi Police released a statement mentioning these figures and their account, accusing protesters of displaying “unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour” during the protest and attacking security personnel, damaging government vehicles and public property.

“During today’s protest by CJP in the New Delhi area, the protesters displayed unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour. Despite repeated warnings and lawful directions issued by the police, they refused to disperse and deliberately violated the prohibitory orders in force,” read the police statement.

-PTI

Soon after the Delhi High Court on Sunday (July 19, 2026) refused to interfere with activist Sonam Wangchuk’s treatment at Safdarjung Hospital, his wife Gitanjali Angmo said the petition was “wrongly interpreted” and questioned why the government, if it had to intervene, couldn’t do so “democratically with the family’s trust”.

On Saturday (July 1, 2026), Mr. Wangchuk was taken forcibly to Safdarjung Hospital by the Delhi Police on day 21 of his hunger strike.

His health is fine and there was no need for government intervention, his wife said, speaking to reporters after the hearing. “If a man is fasting – and today is his 22nd day – he has fasted 35 days in Ladakh. His health is fine. There was no need for government intervention”.

She said they would be appealing on Monday (July 20, 2026), “to rectify the errors in the order today”.

Sonam Wangchuk hunger strike LIVE updates – July 19, 2026

Ms. Angmo asserted that Mr. Wangchuk should have free access to his doctors, adding that they went to the high court with the petition “that a free Indian citizen has the liberty to be treated where he wishes by doctors he’s comfortable with”. She said that a letter was submitted to the court prior to the hearing, but they are still awaiting a response.

“He [Mr. Wangchuk] should have free access. His doctors should meet him. So this is a larger question to answer, does a citizen not have the right to access care of his choice? And if the government intervenes, can’t they do so democratically with family’s trust?” Mr. Angmo asked.

Earlier in court, Justice Mini Pushkarna said no interim order was required at this stage on a petition by Ms. Angmo, seeking permission to shift him to a private facility. The petition will be heard next on July 24.

“The high court has not allowed it because they said they’re worried about his health. We submitted that they can send their doctors wherever he’s being treated,” Ms. Angmo said.

In a special hearing, Justice Pushkarna said Safdarjung doctors were closely monitoring the fasting activist, and it could not be said that any force was being used against him in violation of his bodily integrity. The judge also said the government’s removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital cannot be called arbitrary.

Later, Ms. Angmo said that they wanted to shift Mr. Wangchuk to Medanta or any other hospital in the national capital. “This is fundamental right. We were exercising right of our comfort and choice. There’s a trust deficit in this country. People don’t trust government institutions.”

“Is India truly democratic and free? We asked the judge, the way police is roaming the floor and take all our belongings and his tablet… He’s not in detention like he was in the Jodhpur jail. He should have free access. His doctors should meet him,” she added.

On current status of Wangchuk in hospital

Ms. Angmo said the High Court did not allow the hospital transfer saying that they are worried about the activist’s health. “His physician has no access. There’s obstruction everywhere. We asked for a sample to get a 2.9 potassium reading from a different test centre..if 2.9 is so life threatening, then they should have given us the sample far earlier,” she said. 

“For 20 days when we were checking [Wangchuk’s health] every day, I got reports constantly. But since we got here we aren’t getting reports. The court has noted our demand that we get reports immediately. We want to go to a hospital where he gets all these things,” she added.

Mr. Wangchuk is still continuing the fast, she said. “Sonam wanted that he wanted to continue the fast. They have been asking him to have fluids but he didn’t have. He’s having water.”

‘In Wangchuk’s absence, number of protesters will double’

“We know the government took him [Mr. Wangchuk] here [Safdarjung Hospital] because they were afraid that if he led a protest many people would come,” she said, asserting that “those numbers will double” in his absence. 

Ms. Angmo urged people to join the proposes ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on Monday (July 20, 2026). “May everyone join the march. Education is the foundation for the country. If we want to be a vishwaguru especially.”

“In no developed country do people get an education based on their economic status. The demographic dividend we had a decade back of 50% people below age of 25…if we leveraged that we would have a generation of leaders,” she said.

Students have shown that Gen-Z protests peacefully: Angmo

Ahead of the planned protest march, Ms. Angmo conveyed Mr. Wangchuk’s message to the public. “Sonam’s message to everyone is that even in his absence we must go with double the enthusiasm and four times the numbers.”

“The way he has been advocating people to demonstrate peacefully, I’ll tell everyone two things: march peacefully and watch out for nefarious disruptive elements. They will try to colour the protest. But over the last 22 days students have shown that Gen Z protests peacefully,” she added.

Published – July 19, 2026 05:21 pm IST

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s protest at Jantar Mantar entered its 15th day on Saturday (July 4, 2026), drawing fresh political support from AAP MP Sanjay Singh and CPI(M) MP John Brittas, while climate activist Sonam Wangchuk continued the seventh day of his hunger strike. All India Students’ Association (AISA) said one of its fasting student leaders was hospitalised after her condition turned critical.

AISA said JNUSU Joint Secretary Danish Ali was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Saturday evening after her blood sugar level dropped following seven days of fasting.

The organisation said she was admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluids, while five other AISA activists – Neha, Manish, Hrishikesh, Deepak and Aameen – continued their indefinite hunger strike along with Mr. Wangchuk and other protesters.

Addressing a gathering, Mr. Sanjay Singh accused the BJP government of ignoring students despite repeated examination controversies and questioned why BJP leaders had not visited the protest site.

“All political parties are here expressing solidarity with a genuine demand of the youngsters of the country. Who is stopping BJP leaders from coming here and supporting the students?” he said.

The AAP leader said the Opposition would raise the issue during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

“I want to tell the Prime Minister that he should find a solution, otherwise we will not let Parliament function,” Mr. Singh said.

Appealing to Delhi Police, he said, “Do not use lathis on these students”.

‘A nationwide struggle’

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who said he had come from Kerala to express solidarity, described the agitation as a nationwide struggle to protect the future of young people.

“I have come from Kerala to express my solidarity with this protest. It is a spontaneous protest,” he said, alleging that the country had “never seen such an insensitive and irresponsible government”.

Referring to repeated allegations of examination irregularities, Mr. Brittas said almost every major examination conducted by the Union government had come under question and urged young people to lead the fight for democratic rights and public education.

He also said Opposition parties would continue to raise the issue inside and outside Parliament.

Addressing the protesters, Mr. Wangchuk again stressed the need for accountability.

“If we are forcefully removed, it would be a blot on India internationally that peaceful protesters were removed,” he said, adding that the protesters were only demanding accountability in education.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke earlier said Mr. Wangchuk had lost five kilograms and that his condition was worsening with each passing day.

“How much longer will the Prime Minister wait before sacking [Education Minister] Dharmendra Pradhan?” Mr. Dipke asked in a post on X, adding that if anything happened to Mr. Wangchuk, the government would be responsible.

The CJP also released an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to break what it called his “resounding silence” over the agitation and hold Mr. Pradhan accountable for alleged examination paper leaks and student suicides.

The letter said Mr. Wangchuk’s hunger strike was intended to exert “moral pressure” on the government and questioned why there had been no response despite 15 days of protests.

It also reiterated allegations that Delhi Police assaulted students and threw books, including those on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, during an attempt to set up a library at the protest site.

Late on Friday night, Mr. Wangchuk welcomed progress in talks between the Centre and representatives of the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance over Ladakh’s demands and urged the government to now “pay attention to accountability in education”.

His remarks came after the two Ladakh bodies said they had resolved differences with the Ministry of Home Affairs over the minutes of an earlier meeting, paving the way for the next phase of formal negotiations.

Support from farmers’ body

The agitation also received support from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which announced that a delegation would visit Jantar Mantar on Sunday.

In a letter to CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, the farmers’ body said it stood in “wholehearted solidarity” with the protest, describing the struggle of students and youth as inseparable from that of farmers, and urged the government to begin action by securing Mr. Pradhan’s resignation.

The protest, which began on June 20 over alleged irregularities in examinations including NEET, has drawn support from a wide cross-section of political leaders and civil society members.

Published – July 05, 2026 01:49 am IST