Sonam Wangchuk's 26-day hunger strike, held in solidarity with India’s “Cockroach” youth protest movement, is considered by many in India to be one of the most politically significant fasts in the country's modern history. The fast, which began on 28 June, is seen as a crucial factor in propelling the Cockroach movement into a formidable challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
The Cockroach movement was launched in May after a nationwide exam for medical college entry was cancelled due to a paper leak, affecting 2 million students. The movement gained its name from comments by India’s chief justice, Surya Kant, who reportedly compared some unemployed young people to cockroaches. Abhijit Dipke, the movement's founder, demanded the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan for accountability, which led to widespread anger and street protests.
Wangchuk, a well-known engineer, environmentalist, and educationist, started his fast on 28 June at the Delhi protest site, injecting new energy into the movement as crowds had been thinning. He declared he would not end his strike until the government addressed the demands of India's protesting youth. Pradhan resigned on 25 July, a victory Dipke has attributed to Wangchuk's fast.
Wangchuk, who lost 11kg during his fast and was forcibly removed by police and hospitalised, has since called for a “second independence movement” and urged Indians to elect leaders of “character and substance.” He plans to meet individuals of integrity in Mumbai and Delhi to discuss cleansing elections of those with criminal backgrounds. He supports the Cockroach movement's decision to remain a pressure group focused on education issues rather than becoming a political party.