‘Fighting for children’s future’: Swara Bhasker meets Sonam Wangchuk amid hunger strike

4 min readMumbaiJul 14, 2026 08:13 PM IST

Swara Bhasker joined the protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

As educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike entered its 17th day on Tuesday, support for his protest continued to grow. Wangchuk is participating in the demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Amid growing concerns over his health, actor Swara Bhasker visited the protest site on Tuesday to express her support for the movement.

Sharing photographs from Jantar Mantar on Instagram, the Cockroach Janta Party posted images of Swara interacting with protesters and sitting beside Wangchuk, who continues his indefinite fast. The caption read, “Unapologetic & fearless actress Swara Bhasker Joins the protest at Jantar Mantar!”

Swara Bhasker also reposted the CJP’s Instagram posts on her Stories. In one of them, she wrote, “Thank you for fighting for the future of all our children.” In another, she shared her photograph with Sonam Wangchuk and captioned it, “The indefatigable Sonam Wangchuk sir is fighting for your children’s future. All my solidarity and gratitude.”

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Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah stand in solidarity

Swara Bhasker’s visit comes on the day when several prominent voices, including actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, writer Arundhati Roy, and economist Jayati Ghosh, appealed to Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike while reiterating their support for the cause. In a joint statement issued on Monday, they said they were “immensely grateful” to the protesters for continuing the movement despite the risks to their health.

“We salute your sense of purpose, the determination and courage with which you are spearheading this movement for students and youth across the country,” the statement read, according to PTI. Urging Wangchuk and the other protesters to end the fast, they added, “We request you to please consider ending this hunger strike immediately in the interests of the longer and more difficult struggle ahead. This battle is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need you, your strength and leadership in the days to come.”

The signatories also expressed concern over the government’s silence on the protesters’ demands, warning that it could further endanger their health. “We worry that their negligence in responding to your demands will only worsen the already fragile state of health that many of you are in,” the statement concluded. The statement also appealed to the people of Delhi to join the CJP’s proposed march to Parliament on July 20.

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Omi Vaidya supports Wangchuk

Actor Omi Vaidya, best known for playing Chatur Ramalingam, popularly known as ‘Silencer’, in 3 Idiots, also voiced his support for Wangchuk. Referring to Phunsukh Wangdu, the film’s beloved character inspired by Sonam Wangchuk’s life, Vaidya shared an emotional video on Instagram titled, “I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die.”

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About the protest

Tuesday marked the 24th day of the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar and the 17th day of Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike. AISA activist Deepak, who had also been on a hunger strike since June 28, was admitted to Delhi’s RML Hospital on Monday after his health deteriorated. The protest began on June 20, with Wangchuk joining the movement on June 28. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rs 1 crore as compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. They have also announced a peaceful march to Parliament on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session.