Indian activist moved to hospital after 20-day hunger strike to protest country’s exam system
Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly moved to a hospital by police after a 20-day hunger strike protesting alleged irregularities in medical school entrance examinations. The move followed a court order citing concerns over his deteriorating health.
Why it matters
The protest highlights ongoing tensions regarding educational integrity and government accountability in India's competitive medical examination system.
Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke (second, from right) reacts as doctors check activist Sonam Wangchuk’s vital signs during his hunger strike in New Delhi on Jul 15, 2026, demanding the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities. (Photo: AFP/Arun Sankar)
NEW DELHI: Delhi police forcibly moved activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital on Saturday (Jul 18) over health concerns after 20 days of his hunger strike to protest against India's examination system.
Wangchuk, 59, has been fasting since Jun 28 to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations to study medicine.
A few hundred students have also joined Wangchuk around his stage at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar in recent weeks, with other protests also organised by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party online movement.
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