look news india
New Delhi: Ladakh’s famous environmentalist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk is once again sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the last 17 days amid the scorching heat at Jantar Mantar in the country’s capital Delhi. Wangchuk, who once openly thanked the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the removal of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and Ladakh getting the status of Union Territory (UT), has today become a staunch opponent of the policies of the Central Government. Wangchuk has emerged as a prominent face in this big movement going on at Jantar Mantar under the banner of ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP) against the alleged irregularities in the country’s education system and examinations, where he is demanding the resignation of the country’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Displeasure with BJP over Ladakh’s autonomy and U-turn on promises
Behind this sharp stance of Sonam Wangchuk is the old dispute going on with the Central Government regarding Ladakh. In the election manifesto of 2020, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had made a major promise to bring it under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect the interests of the tribal society of Ladakh. Wangchuk alleges that the government has taken a complete U-turn from this promise. Wangchuk also went on a 21-day long fast in Leh in 2025 demanding full statehood for Ladakh, constitutional safeguards and more political representation, during which violence broke out and he was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and released after 6 months in March 2026.
Serious allegations by the Central Government: Claims of Arab Spring and inflammatory statements
On the other hand, the Central Government and the Home Ministry have raised very serious questions on the methods of Sonam Wangchuk’s protest. According to government reports, Wangchuk’s inflammatory statements were directly blamed for the attacks and violent clashes at the BJP office in Leh in 2025. The Center argued that Wangchuk deliberately continued the fast when the government was actively negotiating Ladakh issues through the High Powered Committee with ‘Apex Body Leh’ and ‘Kargil Democratic Alliance’ (KDA). The government alleged that Wangchuk incited the crowd by making provocative references to the international ‘Arab Spring’ and Nepal’s ‘Gen Z’ violent student movements to mislead the public and himself went to his village in an ambulance as soon as the violence broke out.
‘Do or die’ resolution to improve the education system
Clarifying on her decision to now jump into the country’s national education controversy along with the core issues of Ladakh, 18-year-old youth role model Sonam Wangchuk said education has been closest to her heart for the last 40 years. When the youth of the country are crying on the streets over rigging in examinations and poor system, they cannot remain mute spectators. He became very emotional about the ongoing fast from June 28, 2026 and said, “I am sad that I have to sit on this difficult path again. This is not easy, I may even die due to the fast in this scorching heat, but until the youth of the country do not get justice and the promises made to Ladakh are not fulfilled, I will not step back even an inch.”