NEW DELHI: The Centre is hoping its successful outreach to activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose involvement significantly amplified the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest movement, will help ease the ongoing agitation over alleged examination paper leaks.
While CJP has vowed to continue—and even intensify—the protests unless Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, the government believes its engagement with Wangchuk, coupled with a series of reform measures, could counter criticism that it has been insensitive to students’ concerns. Officials are hopeful the outreach will resonate with students and citizens who are not aligned with political parties or student organisations backing the protests.
Government sources said the breakthrough followed extensive behind-the-scenes efforts, including interventions by Home Minister Amit Shah, with Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh leading negotiations with Wangchuk and involving political leaders from Ladakh in the discussions.
Officials also pointed to Wangchuk’s concerns about the protests turning violent or being overtaken by other groups—issues he raised during his recorded conversation with the ministers—as factors that helped pave the way for an agreement.
The government expects Wangchuk’s appeal for peaceful protests, along with its assurance that no criminal cases would be registered against peaceful demonstrators and that families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide would receive appropriate compensation, to strengthen its outreach. It also hopes these steps will help distinguish students with genuine concerns from activists driven by broader political agendas.
Unlike CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Wangchuk has not demanded Pradhan’s resignation. Officials believe this distinction is significant, arguing that Wangchuk’s focus on institutional accountability rather than the removal of an individual minister could appeal to students who joined the movement primarily over concerns about examination integrity rather than politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to post a message on X wishing Wangchuk a speedy recovery and expressing hope that he regains the weight he lost during his 26-day hunger strike.
CJP, while praising Wangchuk’s “extraordinary courage”, made it clear that it would continue its agitation until Pradhan steps down.
Signs of differences in approach became evident after Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, appealed on X for restraint in judging the activist’s decision to end his fast.
“Before you rush to criticise Wangchuk, first pause to earn the ethos of fasting for 26 days for a cause larger than yourself. He lies in the ICU today, having lost 11 kg, including muscle mass, because he chose sacrifice over comfort… The least we can offer him is a day of compassion before burdening him with our own expectations and political calculations,” she wrote.
The BJP also sought to capitalise on the development. BJP IT department head Amit Malviya questioned the rationale for continuing the protests, alleging that CJP’s objective had shifted from addressing students’ concerns to securing the education minister’s resignation for political reasons.
Wangchuk’s removal from the protest site on July 18—carried out with court authorisation—had injected fresh momentum into the agitation, which later escalated following the protesters’ march towards Parliament and allegations of heavy-handed police action.
His decision to end the 26-day hunger strike by accepting soup from Health Minister JP Nadda, without any CJP representative present, has fuelled speculation about growing distance between the activist and the organisation leading the protests.
Despite reservations within government over CJP’s motives and its continued insistence on Pradhan’s resignation, officials believe maintaining dialogue with the organisation remains worthwhile. At the same time, the Centre is keen to demonstrate that it is responding to students’ concerns through concrete reforms rather than political concessions.
The government has already announced several measures, including a proposal for fast-track courts to try paper leak cases, a Bill to provide stricter punishment for offenders, the termination of 47 officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA), and broader reforms to strengthen the conduct of competitive examinations.
Officials believe these steps, along with continued engagement with stakeholders, will help rebuild public confidence in the examination system while addressing concerns raised by students across the country.
