NEW DELHI — A well-known Indian education activist has been transferred to a New Delhi hospital for urgent medical care, after his condition declined sharply over three weeks of continuous hunger striking as part of the viral grassroots “Cockroach Janta Party” education reform movement. The incident has deepened tensions between the grassroots campaign and Indian authorities, who have bolstered security at the iconic protest site in the heart of the capital.
The 59-year-old activist, Sonam Wangchuk, a trained engineer and longstanding advocate for education overhaul, had been camped out at Jantar Mantar — New Delhi’s officially designated public protest ground, which has been surrounded by police barricades since the demonstration began. He has been joined by hundreds of student organizers and Cockroach Party supporters, who are calling for the resignation of India’s federal Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The demand follows widespread allegations of large-scale pre-exam question paper leaks that have upended education outcomes for thousands of young job seekers across the country.
The “Cockroach Janta Party” itself originated from an unexpected remark earlier this year, when India’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant compared a group of unemployed youth to cockroaches during a separate court hearing. Rather than dismissing the insult, the young activists reclaimed it as a symbol of their resilience, turning the label into a satirical, viral political movement that gained more than 21 million followers on Instagram within just a few days of its launch. Beyond the education minister’s resignation, the movement is pushing for sweeping systemic changes to India’s high-stakes examination system, as well as financial compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the recent paper leaks or disappointing exam results.
Delhi Police confirmed in an official statement that Wangchuk was moved to the hospital on Saturday after his health deteriorated significantly during the hunger strike. Law enforcement officials stated that the transfer followed both medical recommendations and a court order. A short period of unrest broke out at the protest site when a small group of demonstrators attempted to block police vehicles transporting the activist, according to police accounts.
However, the Cockroach Janta Party pushed back against the official narrative in a public social media post, alleging that the government “forcefully abducted” Wangchuk without consent from the activist or his family. In response to the unrest, authorities deployed extra police personnel and paramilitary troops to Jantar Mantar, and reinforced barricades surrounding the protest compound. Police officials characterized the expanded security deployment as a precautionary measure, and issued a public appeal for demonstrators to comply with law enforcement instructions to maintain public order.