How Sonam Wangchuk’s father broke his 1984 fast after PM Indira Gandhi met him

Then PM Indira Gandhi with Sonam Wangyal. (X/@MansoorKhanINC)

4 min readNew DelhiJul 18, 2026 07:18 AM IST

First published on: Jul 18, 2026 at 07:09 AM IST

While activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi since June 28 as part of a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, he seems to be carrying forward his father Sonam Wangyal’s legacy.

Wangyal had fasted for 16 days in 1982 and again for five days in 1984 to demand the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the people of Ladakh.