Sonam Wangchuk enters Day 20 of hunger strike, doctors warn of organ failure

NEW DELHI, JULY 17 : “I don’t want to say this, but Sonam Wangchuk is on his deathbed,” Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said in an emotional appeal on Thursday.

Dipke, who has shared the stage with the climate activist since Wangchuk began his indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on June 28, made the remarks in a video released by the CJP. Wangchuk has been demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over a series of examination paper leaks, including NEET.

In the video, Dipke said Wangchuk had become so frail that “his bones are visible.” He also claimed the activist narrowly escaped falling twice while walking to the washroom on Thursday.

Videos that surfaced on social media the same day appeared to underscore his deteriorating condition. A visibly weak Wangchuk was seen stepping down from the stage with the support of several people, including Dipke, as he made his way to the washroom with slow, faltering steps.

Yet, despite his condition, he paused to smile and wave at supporters — many of them students and parents who had travelled from Delhi-NCR and other parts of the country.

Dipke also recalled trying to persuade Wangchuk to end his fast on Thursday, only to be firmly rebuffed.

“You just shut up. Don’t ask me to stop my hunger strike. Ask why the government is not listening to us,” Wangchuk told him, according to the video shared on the CJP’s official YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, our reporter stayed overnight at the CJP protest site to closely observe Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike and the ongoing agitation.

DOCTORS SOUND ALARM

Wangchuk’s health has entered what doctors described as a critical stage as his hunger strike stretched on, with warnings on Thursday that the next phase could be alarming and may affect his organs. The warning came amid appeals from political leaders, public figures and organisations asking him to end his fast, even as the matter reached the Delhi High Court.

Wangchuk, however, said ending the fast without any response from the government would send the wrong message. In a video message released late on Wednesday night, he said he could continue for many more days and instead asked people to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed Parliament march on July 20.

Hearing a PIL that raised concerns over Wangchuk’s health, the Delhi High Court directed the authorities to monitor his condition daily and provide medical assistance if it worsens.

“We observe that the life of any citizen is precious, and all medical efforts ought to be made by government authorities to save the same,” the bench said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre as well as the Delhi government, told the court that every life was precious and there was no objection to Wangchuk undergoing regular medical check-ups.

According to the latest medical bulletin issued by Dr Satish Lamba, Wangchuk has lost more than nine kgs since starting his hunger strike on June 28 and now weighs 56.9 kg.

Lamba said Wangchuk had entered a critical stage of prolonged fasting. He explained that after glucose reserves are exhausted, the body begins to use fat and then muscle. He said Wangchuk’s ketone level had reached 3-plus and had come down to 2-plus after hydration improved, while his uric acid remained high, indicating that muscles were being consumed.

Lamba said the next stage could be alarming and organs could be impacted. He said Wangchuk was under round-the-clock watch and expressed hope that his condition would not reach that point. He also urged the government to intervene quickly, saying the situation could become very serious if organs were affected.

WANGCHUK STAYS DEFIANT

The grim health update came just hours after Wangchuk sought to reassure supporters that medical tests had not revealed any immediate danger.

In a video message, he said, “My condition is not such that I will die in two-four days. Many medical tests have been conducted and the results are quite normal for an 18-day fast. An ECG was also done and it is not bad. I can continue for many more days. Yes, there is weakness and my muscles are getting weak, but my heart and core are still fine.”

Wangchuk also urged students to view the protest as “a real lesson in political science and democracy” and appealed to supporters to register for the march through the campaign website or by giving a missed call.

The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Wangchuk first joined the protest on June 6 at Jantar Mantar before returning on June 28 to begin his indefinite fast.

Support for the agitation continued to build. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticised the Centre for not engaging with Wangchuk. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal met him at Jantar Mantar and expressed solidarity.

“Every year, exam papers get leaked and youth pay the price. I appeal to the government to listen to the students and Wangchuk,” the former Delhi chief minister said.

He also called for Pradhan to step down and suggested that Wangchuk should be made the country’s education minister. Kejriwal was accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and party leaders Anurag Dhandha, Saurabh Bhardwaj, MLA Sanjeev Jha, Kuldeep Yadav and Jarnail Singh.

The Supreme Court Bar Association appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, saying the country needed him to remain “alive, active and engaged” rather than risk his health and life over a system in distress. SCBA President Vikas Singh visited Jantar Mantar, met Wangchuk and handed over a letter urging him to end the fast.

Music composer Vishal Dadlani; actors Sonakshi Sinha, Sayaji Shinde and Atul Kulkarni; comedian Vir Das; author Shobhaa De; MNS chief Raj Thackeray; and former Congress MP Priya Dutt also urged the government to engage with Wangchuk and voiced concern over his deteriorating condition. Economists Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera visited the protest site and expressed solidarity with the students.

The CJP said around 1.5 lakh people had so far confirmed their participation in the July 20 Parliament march, while Wangchuk remained firm on continuing his fast until the government responded.

-PTI