Sonam Wangchuk hunger strike: AISF to send over 500 protesters from Maharashtra to Delhi

2 min readPuneUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 01:15 PM IST

Sonam Wangchuk has been on hunger strike since June 28 in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Written by Kalyani Lad

The All India Students’ Federation (AISF) Thursday announced that more than 500 people from Maharashtra will set out for Delhi to join a mass demonstration planned in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.

Wangchuk has been on hunger strike since June 28 in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper leaks in competitive exams like the NEET (UG).

“Over 160 tickets have been booked from Pune, 100 from Nagpur, and more than 150 from Mumbai. AISF, along with NSYF (New Students and Youth Federation) and Chatrabharti, is coordinating travel from the three cities,” said Shravani Buwa, Pune convenor, AISF.

“The whole thing started when Shravani Buwa posted a video on Instagram, which got a boom and support from all over Pune. People started approaching them, and now AISF is organizing free of cost travel for some students and helping them reach from Pune to Delhi for the protest at Jantar Mantar,” remarked Ketan Salve, committee member, AISF.

NSYF State President Niharika Bhosale said they want to show solidarity with Wangchuk and students across the country. “This is a systematic issue, not just an academic one. That is why we, as a student organisation, are joining this protest,” Bhosale added.

A young chartered accountant, too, said the issue was much more than just about examinations. “This is our support towards our people and asking for the government’s accountability,” the chartered accountant added.

Story continues below this ad

“Pune has always responded when education is under attack,” said FC College student Anuradha, adding that “after Jantar Mantar, it was the energy here in Pune that helped the CJP protest gain traction. We are carrying that same spirit to Delhi now.”

(Kalyani Lad is an intern with The Indian Express)