I’ve been following the CJP protests at Jantar Mantar and Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. While the core issue the NEET-UG paper leaks and the absolute mess it has made of lakhs of students' lives is incredibly serious, the actual protest and the social media circus around it are losing me.

To be blunt, a lot of the online campaign is starting to feel like emotional guilt-tripping and clout-chasing rather than a focused movement. When you compare this to historical protests, like Anna Hazare's, there’s a massive difference. He maintained a singular, hyper-focused target without relying on dramatic social media guilt trips. This movement, however, is increasingly sharing its platform with some highly questionable elements, and the activities on stage are getting incredibly bizarre for a student protest.

Few things I wanted to share:

The Stage Performances and Slogans: Instead of keeping the focus strictly on NEET, the protest stage has devolved into cultural performances. People are coming up to sing "bas naam rahega Allah ka," and "azadi" slogans are actively being raised. It feels entirely disconnected from an entrance exam reform movement

The Crowd on Stage: We are seeing active involvement from Left student groups like SFI, AISA, and JNU's "Dafli gang," alongside vocal supporters of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Highly controversial figures like Arundhati Roy (with her past statements on Kashmir) and the girlfriend of convicted terrorist Yasin Malik are actively being given a platform.

Controversial Spokespersons: CJP's own main faces are hard to take seriously. Vijeta Dahiya has made highly controversial remarks targeting Hindus, throwing around labels like "Hindu terrorism" and mocking deities (like calling Adi Shankaracharya a hypocrite). Their other spokesperson, Saurav Das, behaves more like a sycophant for Umar Khalid than an advocate for students.

The Core Organizers: The party's founder, Abhijit Dipke, is a former AAP worker. They claim they have "no political affiliation," but they've actively invited AAP leaders to the stage. It honestly feels like they brought Sonam Wangchuk in as a fasting figurehead because of his "experience," to the point where Wangchuk himself had to tell people on stage to stop stuffing their faces with food in front of him. Meanwhile, Dipke literally left the protest midway at one point to go on vacation to Maharashtra

Dharmendra Pradhan isnt going to resign
The main demand of the entire Jantar Mantar agitation is the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. But realistically, the BJP is not going to give in to this demand

1. Dharmendra Pradhan isn't just any minister; he is a massive asset for the BJP. He was the chief architect behind building the party's ground presence in Odisha, which eventually delivered their historic win in the state something that was considered virtually impossible for decades. The leadership is not going to throw away a key organizational heavyweight.
2. The government knows that if they capitulate and force Pradhan to resign due to these protests, they set a dangerous precedent. If they give in now, it establishes a pattern. The opposition will demand and expect the exact same resignation formula every single time there is an exam leak or administrative failure in the future
3. The leadership is betting on the fact that public memory is incredibly short. They know the outrage will likely blow over in a month or two, whereas setting a precedent of resigning under pressure permanently weakens their political stance

Look, anyone with a bit of empathy is going to feel bad seeing someone go on a hunger strike for weeks.
But there is a massive difference between supporting the students who actually suffered from the NEET mess and supporting a protest stage that has clearly been hijacked by opportunistic groups
This is just my personal take on how this is playing out. What do you guys think?

EDIT: Just to clarify before people start losing their minds in the comments, I’m not trying to defend the BJP or make excuses for them, dharmendra pradhan absolutely deserves to go on moral grounds for letting the NEET exams turn into this level of a catastrophic failure. I am literally just pointing out the reality of how stubbornly and cynically the government operates behind closed doors, pointing out their zero-accountability playbook is not an endorsement of it

So I am a student basically, whenever I open X I get ragebaited by bjp supporters claiming everything opposing them as "anti-national ". Then I open reddit, but the thing is till now I could not find people of my opinion here too.

Like I want Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, there is so much bad going on, education is ruined. Cbse has taken new action, saying that if school is found to have dummy students then it would lose its board. That's why students are finding it very hard who are preparing for jee and neet, they have to go school as well.

I have many other points which tend to say the whole cabinet should resign. But on the other hand I somehow fail to support CJP. CJP founder abhijeet dipke has so many tweets supporting caste based reservation and even increasing them.

Even when a reporter asked him why he oppose BJP he said that he was a DALIT, and dalit will not support BJP. IS CJP THE SOLUTION THEN? THEY ARE THEMSELVES PROMOTING CASTEISM, RESERVATION BASED ON CASTE WHICH WE WANT TO ERADICATE!!

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says in his every speech that he will increase reservation further to 80% if he came to power, jitni aabadi itna haq and other BS. He is even trying to say that jee paper made by a upper caste professor can't be solved by sc st!! Like whats the logic?

We want a whole NEUTRAL party, which unlike BJP should focus on country's security and development, rather than communal and sc st politics. But that party should also not promote caste based reservation, caste based politics, increasing reservation kind of BS.

The kind of need we have right now, I seriously think cjp fails to promise that. They welcome people like arundhati roy, who said kashmir has never been an integral part of India!! They sympathise with umar khalid and yaasin malik!!

Also genz wants to question things around him, we want to question government and that's totally fine! BUT IS QUESTIONING CJP OFFENSIVE?? I am asking this because whenever I question it, people supporting CJP seriously just want to justify everything by calling the person" andhbhakt " .

Abhijeet dipke didn't say a word against congress rally in Karnataka which lead to delay of many students in re-neet, resulting that they were not allowed to give neet!

So the thing is there are majorly two category of people, one blindly supporting BJP, one blindly supporting CJP, and all their biggest defence is "WHAT ABOUT THAT?" .

I think we seriously need a neutral party, who abolish freebies, caste based reservation (or atleast reforms) , who change the country politics from religion and caste to development.

I have read Dr BR ambedkar books, like pakistan or partion of India, who were shudras and annihilation of caste.

I feel embarrassed by seeing today's "ambedkarite" , that even ambedkar would be ashamed of them. We need a party which come out of "BABASAHEB KA SAMVIDHAN.....", by this I don't mean to disrespect constitution, no, I mean that the utter caste based politics must be stopped.

The conclusion I get is Dharmendra Pradhan and nitin gadkari must resign, they have no right now to be minister.

Their should be case on Modi and Yogi, atleast there should be investigation for their involvement in RAM MANDIR SCAM!!!

I just want to know, do people having kind of my opinion exist??

I know , respected Prime Minister , that you will probably never see this message amongst the thousands that are sent each day . But I'll voice my request nonetheless. I understand that encouraging protests or agreeing to demands is scary as it may make the government seem weak and it can shake the government and so many other issues will emerge . All I want to say is that those issues are important but not as important as the life of a scientist, a reformer , a visionary who has done immense work throughout his life in education and environmental engineering and his work in Ladakh is a symbol of just how much of a patriot he is . Don't let a true patriot die . He is a Deshbhakt and when one of the most wise and pure hearted Deshbhakt is fasting against the failure of the system then please take him seriously. He is not wrong . Im not talking about the resignation of the education minister , that decision rests with you but before all that one thing is of higher priority , please at the very least , please just talk to Sonam sir that's all I ask for. Please talk to him . He deserves better than silence .

Update: I'm not trying to say Sonam sir is more important than everyone else . Lots of students are doing strike just like him and they matter equally. My point is that Sonam sir is the most credible, respected ( that the government can't character assasinate or manipulate people against ) person there and if he with all this patriotic achievements stands against the government then they must accept they are wrong and at the very least talk to him or the protesters .

My Take on the CJP Protest

This is just my opinion after following the protest for some time. Feel free to disagree, but I'd rather discuss the arguments than political labels.

1. Hunger strike should not be the primary way of protest

I don't support hunger strikes as a method of protest anymore. It is essentially putting your own life at risk to force the government into taking action. In a democracy, there are many other ways to protest—legal action, public campaigns, mass mobilization, petitions, and sustained public pressure.

My biggest concern is that if the government continues to ignore the protest, we may lose someone like Sonam Wangchuk. If that happens, the country will witness political drama for a few weeks, the government will try to control the damage, and some leaders of the movement may even build their political careers from it. But in the end, the country loses a respected person. We've seen similar situations in the past.

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1. Looking at it from the BJP's perspective

People often ignore the political reality.

The BJP is unlikely to remove Dharmendra Pradhan because politics doesn't work only on morality. Odisha played a major role in BJP forming the government. BJP won 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats there, and Dharmendra Pradhan is the man behind this and he has significant influence in odisha's poltics.

If the government forces him to resign under public pressure, it sends a message that protests can remove cabinet ministers. If he resigns unwillingly, it weakens both his political position and the government's image. From BJP's point of view, accepting this demand is politically costly.

You may disagree with this calculation, but it is still the political reality.

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1. The leadership of the movement has hurt its own credibility

This is where I have the biggest problem.

Many CJP founders come from the same political background. That's not the issue. The issue is how they're leading the movement.

For example, Dipak has made the protest around himself.

He repeatedly complains that mainstream media isn't covering the movement. But when media was reporting in ground they yelled at them "Godi media Godi Media." Whether the media is biased is a different political debate. It should not be students movement concern if Dipake want he may stop this.

When questioned about this, his answer was basically, "If tomorrow Modi tells the media not to report me, will they stop?" That completely avoided the actual question.

Then there was the statement where he said he should get SPG security, otherwise he would leave for the USA. That doesn't sound like the language of someone leading a serious student movement.

Even worse, when asked why he himself wasn't on a hunger strike, he said he couldn't risk his own life and that Sonam Wangchuk had more experience, so he should do it.

Honestly, that sounds hypocritical. If you're unwilling to risk your own life at 30, how can you justify an older man risking his?

These kinds of statements damage public trust in both the leader and the movement.

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1. Unrelated political messaging has weakened public support

A student protest should remain focused on students.

Instead, there have been slogans about anti-Brahminism, Umar Khalid's bail, and other unrelated political issues.

Whether someone agrees or disagrees with those issues is irrelevant.

The moment unrelated ideological slogans enter a student movement, many people stop seeing it as a genuine students' protest and start seeing it as a political platform. That naturally reduces support, especially among right-leaning people.

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1. The demand itself is too narrow

The main demand is Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.

I don't think that solves the actual problem.

We've seen ministers resign before. The system usually remains exactly the same.

The bigger question is why paper leaks keep happening in certain exams.

- NEET has repeatedly faced paper leak controversies.

- SSC paper leak allegations appear almost every year.

- Yet we almost never hear about UPSC paper leaks despite it being one of India's biggest examinations.

- JEE has also not witnessed repeated nationwide paper leak controversies on the same scale.

UPSC and SSC are both statutory bodies, and they don't directly function under the Education Ministry and run by bureaucrats still different outcomes.

That suggests the deeper problem is institutional, administrative, and technological—not simply one minister.

Replacing one minister without fixing the system is treating the symptom instead of the disease.

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1. The movement'd demand doesn't appear to have broad public support

Social media created the impression that this was a nationwide movement.

But on the ground, participation looked limited.

There were only a few hundred people present. How many of them were actually NEET aspirants or directly affected students?

A large number appeared to be university students, and many groups present were politically affiliated.

Even today, the movement remains in the news largely because Sonam Wangchuk is on a hunger strike—not because the campaign itself has gained overwhelming public support.

That says something about where the attention is actually coming from.

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1. Political parties themselves seem unconvinced

If this movement truly had massive nationwide public support, why haven't major opposition leaders made it their primary issue?

This was a perfect opportunity to corner the government.

Instead, Rahul Gandhi has been running a separate campaign on paper leaks rather than fully joining this protest.

At the same time, when SFI joined this but various political student wings haven't participated in the protest.

So from outside, it increasingly looks like a student movement with significant political involvement behind it.

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1. What should actually be demanded?

Instead of making one minister's resignation the centre of the movement, the demands should include structural reforms:

- Independent investigation into paper leaks.

- Time-bound accountability for officials.

- Stronger digital security and encryption.

- Better coordination between agencies.

- Strict punishment for paper leak mafias.

- Regular audits of examination systems.

- Transparent reforms across all major recruitment and entrance exams.

If Dharmendra Pradhan believes he has moral responsibility, he should immediately resign and take accountability.

But resignation alone won't stop the next paper leak.

The focus should be on fixing the system, not just replacing one individual.

I sincerely hope the government engages with Sonam Wangchuk and ends the hunger strike before something irreversible happens. Losing a respected public figure would benefit nobody.

Anti national.

The horrible narrative spewed by bjpee to label citizens as anti nationals needs to be turned around. Terrorizing citizens for asking questions using political machinery, ED, CBI, and even actual gundas.

Anti national Bjpee supporters and bots are out discreetly trying to malign the protests at jantar mantar by spewing false narratives.

Let's talk about the economy a bit.

Bjpee has also managed to lower economic growth, arguably the most important metric for a country like India. If you check IMF data real gdp growth rates during bjp have averaged 6% over the last 12 yrs while it was 6.9% during congress. Btw both aren't good enough given India's demography. And the fx crisis under bjpee further shows usd gdp only grew by about <6% per annum during bjpee while it was over 11% per annum during congress. I don't have the exact numbers but these are accurate approximations.

Let's also not forget crude oil prices were record lows during bjpee's term. This reflects in the inflation data where bjpee did manage to get inflation down by 2-3% on average. Credit where it's due but it also didn't translate into higher economic growth.

And last but not the least wealth inequality has significantly worsened under the bjpee. Make of this what you will.

If not bjpee then who? Even a slug would be better than these illiterate gundas, at least it'd not try to polarise people based on bronze age beliefs.

Every social media app is filled with content about protest. Its impractical for me to travel to Delhi to show my support. I was thinking what is the best way i can choose to show support. I saw online someone posted a reel saying send a post card to ministry of education saying "get well soon" (munabhai reference), which got me thinking, prime minister of india is a very legit man and has a website pmopg.gov.in where one can create a account and send a digital letter to PM modi.

I know that it literally doesn't mean it will send a letter to pm's desk, but atleast it will go somewhere. Someone will read it, and if everyone outside and inside india who cannot join the protest in person sends a letter, someone has to pay attention to it or atleast it will be in their conscious. My question is who all think this is a good way to show support? I am willing to put my own money in an run an ad campaign on insta and Facebook to get traction and make sure people in every corner of world does something other than just posting story and making reel.

Don't worry I'm not going bore you with the same shit. Let's start!

So, the CJP are protesting for about 30+ days. I don't like the labeling of people be it anybody. It's done both sides who support and are against the protest. I don’t like how Abhijeet runing the protest it is very unrealistic and doesn't leave any room for talks between the govt and the protestors. And they were completely blank on other demands besides the sacking the Edu minster. Further the recent demand for a new law is only for the exams rather than making deeper demands.

Examples,

Govt. interveing shadow Clgs which isn't affiliated with a State University or having a the paper for running a Pvt clg. They are tied up with other clg which has affiliation and register the students there. So, here the standard of education and facilities isn't provided by theses shadow Clgs is very bad and the students can't do much about this. Even ask a offical about the status of their affiliation they'll reply with "It's in progress". If ask or question them they'll just act like they will fix the issue but do nothing. For more information free to DM me!

The CJP could press on “Fake degrees issue” made by the Hon'ble CJI.

The missmangement of funds in the public universities as well as getting funds. In the protest a prof. from DU said that govt isn't clear funds for the past years. This is from my memory so please correct my if I'm wrong.

Pvt universities or deemed be universities getting away with whatever they want to do for instance, the fees for re- evaluation is too high or not getting the answer sheets after the examination a long with answer key.

Students are having low attentions spen / brainrot due to short form content. The govt or UGC should add VAC in the first year for all UG students to help with this. Please note that I'm not professional on the subject and theses is a thought I had.

The government should remove the 75% rule with 0% attendance needed for the sem end examinations. I suggest a mid ground where you'll get a bost in your grades for attending 40% of the classess.

Moving on the CJP never asked me or any other CJP member before making a daft of the policy they presented. Why??

I have not spoken about the drama or the dumb things that the entire political parties and CJP said. Because that isn't important right now.

Let's discuss!

The protest taking place at Jantar Mantar in Delhi may be good for the country, but I do not believe that the people sitting there genuinely have the country's welfare as their primary goal. I do not support them because, in my view, they are not protesting against the government as an institution; they are only protesting against Narendra Modi and his party. If the Congress were in power today, I don't think these same people would be sitting at Jantar Mantar. Instead, perhaps those who are currently in power would be the ones protesting.

I will not comment on Sonam Wangchuk, but if his hunger strike is truly for the welfare of the country, then I support him.

Until 2024, I was an andhbhakt of the BJP. I couldn't tolerate hearing even a single negative word about Modi. But now, I find myself criticizing him harshly. Even so, I still did not vote for Congress. I would rather cast my vote for NOTA because the opposition leaders, who should have been leading protests and holding the government accountable, are nowhere to be seen.

I have gone through the website of the University of Delhi and found that two hostels disproportionately allot accommodation to certain communities of students despite, in my view, lacking any statutory backing, thereby directly violating Article 14 of the Constitution of India (the equality clause).

These are the North Eastern Students' House for Women and the Ambedkar-Ganguly Students' House for Women.

I am surprised and, at the same time, angry that there are students who are far more marginalized, both socially and medically, yet such students have to drop out because of what I consider to be the University of Delhi's bias towards SC/ST, OBC, and North-Eastern students.

I have no objection if SC/ST, OBC, and North-Eastern students receive hostel reservation where it is provided under a Central Act. However, I have gone through every Act, policy, and circular that I could find and failed to find any provision treating hostel accommodation as part of the reservation framework for SC/ST/OBC and NE with backing of an Act of Parliament.

In contrast to the above categories, when I read the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016—particularly Section 5 (Community Life), Section 16 (Duty of Educational Institutions), and Section 17 (Specific Measures to Promote and Facilitate Inclusive Education)—I was astonished that no hostel reservation has been provided for students with disabilities exceeding 5%. Instead, hostel allocation continues to be made purely on merit, despite what I understand to be the Supreme Court's rulings barring such an approach in the case of students with disabilities with significant impairment.

Unfortunately, Bijayalaxmi Nanda, Principal of Miranda House, refused to accept the position that student with disabilities from disadvantaged backgrounds need affirmative action in terms of hostel accommodation, shelter, and other support. She is keen on forcing them to drop out and allocating the same to girls born in upper class privilege.

She is the daughter of an IAS officer and was born into utter privilege. She has never experienced hopelessness or poverty. I have failed to convince her that a reading of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, together with the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, makes it clear that students with disabilities from disadvantaged backgrounds could literally claim the benefit of the entire reservation i.e. 100%.

New Notification of Miranda House Is Violative of the RPwD Act and the Constitution of India, 1950:

https://www.mirandahouse.ac.in/files/focus/MH-2510-2026-07-15-17-06-01-PM.pdf

Merit cannot be the sole criterion for allocation concerning Students with Disabilities (SwD), in light of the judgments of the Supreme Court of India and the order of the Court of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in Anushka Priyadarshini v. The Principal, Miranda House and Others. Instead, the extent of significant demonstrable impairment, whether mental or physical, should be considered as a relevant criterion.

Enclosure: Bar and Bench article relating to the above-mentioned case: [ later taken down as the matter currently pending before the Supreme Court of India ]
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VAkwLpI0x9FHdOpIHQ9g8HUkyZb_CUCO/view?usp=drive_link

Order of CCPD taken from Bar and Bench: https://images.assettype.com/barandbench/2026-06-23/4pm3zvc2/Anushka_Priyadarshini_v_The_Registrar__University_of_Delhi_and_Anr_.pdf

Google Drive Link (Representation for Women with Disabilities):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1avr7Hif1CkEke91DfohhXMi50p5O6WVT/view?usp=sharing

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/hostel-for-visually-impaired-women-delhi-governments-delayed-plan/articleshow/106463336.cms

In September 2025, in the Reena Banerjee and Another vs. Government of NCT of Delhi and Others, the Supreme Court of India recognized the inherent worth and dignity of persons with disabilities, irrespective of their contribution to society. The Court reaffirmed equal and the absolute personhood of every human being, including person with intellectual disabilities. The Court observed:

... They may not fit neatly into productivity-centric paradigms, and their rights must not be measured by benchmarks of economic contribution or rehabilitation “success.” The dignity of persons with disability, especially those institutionalized and forgotten, cannot be made contingent upon their perceived ability to integrate, perform, or comply with dominant norms of independence. An equality framework premised on contribution or performance may be inadequate to secure their rights, especially when their exclusion is not incidental but embedded within institutional design. The danger lies in articulating inclusion only through the language of exception or achievement, rather than through structural reconstitution of public spaces, services, and norms to affirm disability as a legitimate and constitutive part of human diversity. A truly inclusive constitutional vision must move beyond these binaries and recognise that the right to equality is not contingent on capacity but anchored in dignity, autonomy, and the right to belong, on equal terms, in every domain of life.

— Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Reena Banerjee and Another vs. Government of NCT of Delhi and Others, Para 32

Please raise your voice and register your protest by writing a letter in support of students with disabilities with significant impairments who come from vernacular, rural, and working-class backgrounds, as the University of Delhi is, in my view, curtailing their right to live with dignity.

Thank you in advance.

We often look for heroes in history books, forgetting that sometimes they are sitting right in the middle of our capital, fighting for our future with nothing but their own breath.

For 19 days, Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. He has lost nearly 9kg, his health is deteriorating, and yet, his resolve remains unshaken. He isn’t doing this for a personal agenda; he is doing this because he believes in the dignity of our youth and the accountability of our systems.

When he says, "Please don't look for a hero in someone else. Be the hero of your own life," he isn't just speaking to a crowd—he’s speaking to every one of us who feels disillusioned by the current state of our education system and the recurring paper leak crises.

He is a man who has chosen to put his life on the line so that our voices might finally be heard. It is a haunting, powerful reminder of what it means to truly love this nation.

If you had to choose one word to describe the man who is sacrificing his health for our collective conscience, what would it be?

I’ve lately realised that being vocal in my circle and through my social media when being an informed critique to government policies isn’t going to be enough. Another movement is taking place and I can’t shake this thought that I should join the 20th July protest. The last minute ticket prices from Blr right now is looking expensive for my budget and then there is so much of pressure back at work but with all of this doesn’t convince my heart to yet again stand in sidelines and not add one more voice in Delhi. I profoundly remember those time when Anna Hazare movement happened , I was a kid in middle school and how proactively I agitated , organised a protest of students and we marched around 5km shouting slogan “Anna Tum sangharsh karo, hum Tumhare sath hai” and now, when I’m more wise , the current situation makes them look a distant dream of how we not for once thought that the government wouldn’t listen to kids and we are nothing. Can I say this anymore I don’t think so , like me so many people have become more valuable to their country in comparison to when we were kids but does the current government looks us like that , it feels frustrating how numb they have gotten and this question of going to going is always in my mind , let’s see if we can try on more time.

In the noise of our democracy, the quietest protests are often the most deafening. Today, as we witness Sir Sonam Wangchuk battling the bitter cold and government indifference for the future of Ladakh, we are haunted by a chilling historical parallel.

Eight years ago, another distinguished scientist-turned-satyagrahi, Professor G.D. Agrawal (Swami Sanand), sat in a similar silence. He waited 111 days for a response that never came—until his heart stopped.

If you want to understand the gravity of Sonam Wangchuk’s current struggle, you must understand the tragedy of Professor Agrawal.

1. The Man: Who Was G.D. Agrawal?

Before he was a sanyasi, G.D. Agrawal was not just an activist; he was the architect of India’s environmental regulations.

• The Scientist: He was a Professor at IIT Kanpur and the first Member-Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). He held a PhD from UC Berkeley.
• The Believer: He bridged science and spirituality, believing that the Ganga was not just a water body (H2O) but a living ecological system with self-purifying qualities (Aviral and Nirmal).
• The Shift: Realizing that policy papers were ignored by politicians, he renounced his comfortable life in 2011 to become Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, using Satyagraha (fasting) as his last weapon.

2. The Struggle: The 111-Day Fast (2018)

In 2018, at the age of 86, Professor Agrawal began his final fast at Matri Sadan, Haridwar. His demands were not radical; they were scientific necessities for the river's survival:

• Stop Hydroelectric Projects: Halt the construction of dams on the pristine upper reaches (Alaknanda, Mandakini, etc.) that were choking the river’s flow.
• The Ganga Act: Enact the Ganga Protection Management Act (a draft he helped prepare) to give the river legal rights.
• End Mining: Stop illegal riverbed mining in the Kumbh area.

3. The Timeline of Apathy

This is where the story mirrors the current reality of Ladakh:

• June 22, 2018: He begins his fast.
• The Letters: He wrote three separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, explaining the science and his demands.
  • Result: He received no direct reply from the PM. The only response was a bureaucratic letter from Minister Nitin Gadkari urging him to stop.
• October 9, 2018: Disheartened by the government's prioritization of "development" over the environment, he renounced water.
• October 10, 2018: Authorities forcefully removed him from his protest site to AIIMS Rishikesh, citing his health.
• October 11, 2018: He passed away from cardiac arrest. He died feeling betrayed by the very system he had served as a scientist.

The irony: Condolences poured in on Twitter after his death, from the very leaders who ignored his letters while he was alive.

4. The Parallel: Sonam Wangchuk (The Current Struggle)

Today, Sonam Wangchuk stands where Professor Agrawal stood. The parallels are terrifyingly exact:

• The Profile: Like Agrawal, Wangchuk is a man of science (Engineer, Innovator, SECMOL founder) who has dedicated his life to solutions, not just problems.
• The Cause: Just as Agrawal fought for the ecological integrity of the Ganga, Wangchuk is fighting for the ecological integrity of the Himalayas. His demand for the Sixth Schedule is essentially a demand for legal protection against unchecked industrial exploitation—exactly what Agrawal’s "Ganga Act" was.
• The Method: Both resorted to the Gandhian tool of indefinite fasting (Climate Fast) because all other avenues of dialogue were shut.
• The Response: The "deafening silence." Just as Delhi ignored the letters from Haridwar in 2018, there is a perceived lack of urgent, high-level engagement with the demands rising from Ladakh today.

History has a cruel way of repeating itself. In 2018, we lost a legendary IIT professor because the state calculated that his protest could be waited out. It ended in a national tragedy.

Sonam Wangchuk's struggle is not just about Ladakh; it is a test of whether our democracy has learned anything from the death of G.D. Agrawal. We cannot afford to lose another visionary to the silence of the administration.

You read that right. We’ve spent the last three weeks demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET-UG disaster. But while we’ve been focused on one corrupt minister, the people at the very top—Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah—are actively committing atrocities against their own citizens. Asking them to resign is too polite. They need to be locked up.

Look at what is happening to Sonam Wangchuk right now. One of India’s most celebrated innovators is on Day 19 of an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. He has lost nearly 9 kg, his muscles are wasting away, and his organs are at risk of failing. He’s surviving purely on salt water.

And what is the PMO's response? What is the Home Ministry's response? Absolute, calculated silence. They are waiting for him to die.

This isn't just negligence; it's attempted murder by state apathy. And it's part of a documented, malicious pattern by Amit Shah's Home Ministry to destroy anyone who dares to demand accountability..

Let’s review the crimes this administration has committed against Wangchuk and the people of Ladakh: * Weaponizing Draconian Laws: In 2025, when Wangchuk peacefully demanded the Sixth Schedule protections that the BJP literally promised Ladakh in their manifesto, Shah's Home Ministry slapped him with the National Security Act (NSA). The NSA is for terrorists and threats to the state. They threw a climate activist and educator into a Jodhpur jail for months just to shut him up. That is an abuse of power.

• Targeted Sabotage: When jail didn't break him, the Home Ministry cancelled the FCRA registration for his educational NGO, while the administration revoked the 40-year land lease for his Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL). They actively try to destroy the institutions of those who oppose them. That is political persecution.

• Criminal Negligence: It took a PIL in the Delhi High Court yesterday just to force the Centre to agree to monitor Wangchuk's failing health. A government that has to be ordered by a judge to care whether a national hero starves to death on their doorstep is fundamentally evil.

The arrogance is staggering. While Wangchuk and student activists like Deepak (who was hospitalized this week with hypovolemic shock) risk their lives, Modi is busy with photo ops and Shah is scheming the next crackdown. They are handing over Ladakh’s fragile ecosystem to their corporate cronies while starving the man trying to protect it. Pradhan is just a puppet. The rot comes straight from the Prime Minister's Office and the Home Ministry. If an ordinary citizen locked someone in a room and starved them, they would be charged with murder. When the PM and HM use the entire state apparatus to do it to a peaceful protester in broad daylight, we call it "politics." No more. don't just ask for resignations. Demand justice. Demand that the men orchestrating this cruelty face the inside of a jail cell themselves. We don't just need a new government. We need a reckoning.

It's amazing how passionately we support celebrities, celebrate their successes, defend them online, and proudly call ourselves their biggest fans. But when it comes to issues that directly affect ordinary people, the silence often feels disappointing.

Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike for days, raising concerns that he believes are important for the country and for future generations. Whether someone agrees with his demands or not, his commitment has sparked an important conversation.

This isn't about blaming Bollywood or expecting every celebrity to speak on every issue. Everyone has the right to decide when and how they use their voice. But as fans, maybe we should also reflect on who our real heroes are.

For me, a real hero is someone who stands up for people, takes risks for a cause they believe in, and is willing to make personal sacrifices for it.

Instead of blindly worshipping celebrities, perhaps we should value those who work for society with the same passion.

What do you think? Should public figures use their influence more often for issues that affect the public, or should we not expect that from them?