Wangchuk can end hunger strike, says wife, sets condition as crowd swells for CJP march to parliament on 20 July

Activist Sonam Wangchuk can end his fast tomorrow (20 July) if political leaders meet him and assure to raise the issue of accountability and education in the Parliament's Monsoon Session which begins that day, his wife Gitanjali J Angmo said this evening (19 July), news agency PTI reported.

Several MPs have already met Wangchuk at the protest site and promised to raise the issue of NEET-UG paper leak and other matters during the session. These include Congress's Shashi Tharoor, Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav, and multiple leaders of the AAP, besides Azad Samaj Party's Chandrashekar Azad.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday submitted a notice of motion under Rule 267, too, seeking suspension of the day's listed business in the Upper House to discuss the alleged NEET paper leak and the demands raised by activist Sonam Wangchuk.

Crowd swells at protest site

Jantar Mantar, meanwhile, transformed into a packed protest camp with a massive influx of supporters on Sunday, a day ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party's 'Chalo Sansad' march, with founder Abhijeet Dipke calling for a night-long vigil.

Police have said prohibitory orders are now in place against gatherings in the New Delhi district, "except [at] designated protest site at Jantar Mantar Road".

Amid the swelling crowds, educationist Gitanjali J Angmo announced that her husband Sonam Wangchuk would end his hunger strike on Monday if political leaders meet him at Safdarjung Hospital to assure him his issues will be raised in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

Crowds continued to pour into the the CJP's protest site at Jantar Mantar through the day as preparations gathered pace for Monday's march. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das claimed that nearly 20,000 people were "at and around Jantar Mantar" even before the scheduled mobilisation.

Sanjay's notice in RS

AAP MP Sanjay Singh, in his notice addressed to the secretary general of the Rajya Sabha, said the issues were of urgent national importance and required immediate discussion.

The AAP leader said repeated controversies surrounding the NEET had affected the credibility of the country's public examination system.

Singh also referred to Wangchuk's hunger strike over the issue and said the activist's deteriorating health.

On Saturday, Wangchuk, on a hunger strike for more than 20 days, was forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar by Delhi Police and put in Safdarjung Hospital.

Deputy Commissioner of police, New Delhi, Sachin Sharma said in a public advisory on X that no permission had been sought or granted for the CJP's proposed 'Chalo Sansad' march, and that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force across the New Delhi district.

The advisory said marches, processions and assemblies of five or more people were barred except at the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar with prior permission, and warned that violators faced prosecution.

Police said security had been tightened ahead of the Parliament's Monsoon Session, with additional personnel, barricades and vehicle checks at entry points across New Delhi, Central Delhi and parts of North Delhi.

A three-tier security arrangement, including two layers of Delhi Police personnel and one layer of paramilitary forces, has been put in place around Jantar Mantar, according to police sources cited by news agency PTI.

Dipke's fast continues

The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since mid-June, with Wangchuk joining the hunger strike on 28 June. Delhi Police removed him from the site on 18 July, on the 21st day of his fast, citing a Delhi High Court order and deteriorating health, and shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital, where security was subsequently intensified.

Wangchuk issued a message from hospital urging supporters to join Monday's march regardless, which he called "India 2nd Freedom Movement".

Dipke, who alleged he was beaten and detained while trying to reach the site, began an indefinite hunger strike of his own soon after and said the CJP's demand had shifted from Pradhan's resignation to the prime minister's.

He urged supporters to throng Jantar Mantar in anticipation of further police action and said the march would go ahead as planned.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, breaking days of silence on the strike, also spoke after Wangchuk was taken away. He said the core tenets of the Modi government were "asatya and hinsa" (falsehood and violence).

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal accused the Centre of breaking a peaceful protest in "fascist" fashion, while Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal questioned why PM Modi had not met Wangchuk despite the party raising similar concerns over the paper leak.

Delhi Police have maintained that Wangchuk's removal followed court directions and medical advice, and that officers exercised maximum restraint during the operation.

Wangchuk's wife had asked that he be shifted to a private hospital — a request the Delhi high court refused to grant for now.