Activist Sonam Wangchuk claimed Wednesday that the government broke a promise by releasing photographs of him ending his 26-day hunger strike, which he had undertaken in late June to advance the Cockroach
Janta Party (CJP) demand seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak row, India Today reported.
Wangchuk said it had been mutually agreed that photographs from his late-night meeting with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh would remain private until the leaders from the Opposition and student representatives were informed of the development.
“The ministers had got their own photographers. They pledged to me, they wouldn’t release it. They broke the promise,” he told India Today.
Sonam Wangchuk, 59, had undertaken an indefinite hunger strike on June 28 as he joined the CJP protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to support students who were seeking broader educational reforms along with the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leak issue.
“I told them I would like members of other political parties, their leadership and student leaders to be part of it. I wanted it to be a joint gathering,” he said as he asserted that the moment should not be viewed as an event associated with only the ruling party.
‘I Said I Would Break Fast But…’
According to Wangchuk, after the ministers arrived at Medanta Hospital late at night, he proposed to them that he would break his fast on the condition that the news be released on his terms.
“I said I would break the fast, but the news would be released on my terms, with photographs of Opposition leaders and, if possible, student leaders put together so it appeared to be a joint effort,” the activist told India Today.
“I told the IB officers, ‘You are witnesses to this agreement. Nobody will release any images to the media until I break the news with all parties represented.’ They agreed and made that promise,” he added.
Wangchuk further claimed that the understanding was breached within minutes. He also rejected allegations that he had struck a “midnight deal” with the government to end his fast.
CJP Protest
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) kicked off a nationwide protest in late June, following the paper leak controversy linked to the May 3 NEET-UG examination. Public outrage over the irregularities intensified after 21 students across the country died by suicide, with their families citing distress and mental agony due to the paper leak.
Although the protests began at Jantar Mantar in late June, they took a decisive turn on July 20, following the CJP’s call for ‘Sansad Chalo’ march. Defying rains and police barricades, thousands of student descended to streets and marched to the Parliament in what became the biggest protest in PM Narendra Modi’s third consecutive term.
The demonstration culminated with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25.
