CJP Journal · July 1, 2026 · Day 12 of the Sit-In · Wangchuk Fast Day 4
The Man Stopped Eating.
The Government Stopped Talking.
India Stopped Looking Away.
Sonam Wangchuk's blood sugar is at 66. Delhi Police won't let supporters in. BJP called the protest a "virus." Dipke called it "the vaccine." Twelve days in — here's what's really happening at Jantar Mantar.
Sonam Wangchuk during his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. His blood sugar dropped to 66 on Day 3. A doctor confirmed he has not eaten. [PTI / Shahbaz Khan] — Source: ThePrint, June 30, 2026
Chapter One
An Insult That Became a Swarm
It started with a slip of the tongue — or maybe it wasn't a slip at all. On May 15, 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant compared unemployed young Indians to "cockroaches" during an open court hearing. The remark was aimed at what he called "parasites" attacking the system from behind laptops. By the time the session ended, it had spread to every corner of social media in India.
Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communications graduate at Boston University, read the remark from his dorm room in the United States. His response was a throwaway question on Instagram: "What if all the cockroaches came together?" Within 78 hours, 3 million people had answered.
— Abhijeet Dipke, Founder, CJP
The Cockroach Janta Party launched on May 16 with a tagline that captured everything: "Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed." Eligibility criteria: unemployed. Lazy. Chronically online. Able to rant professionally. Within five days the Instagram account hit 10 million followers — overtaking the ruling BJP's official handle, which had 8.8 million. Political heavyweights like Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad signed up via a Google form. The movement had been written off as a meme. It refused to die.
CJP's first street protest at Jantar Mantar on June 6, 2026. Dipke flew from Boston to lead it — and had to be carried off stage after suffering heat exhaustion mid-speech. [Manan Vatsyayana / AFP] — Source: Al Jazeera
Chapter Two
The Man Who Stopped Eating
Sonam Wangchuk did not plan to be here. The Magsaysay Award-winning engineer and educator from Ladakh — the man who inspired the film 3 Idiots — spent six months in Jodhpur Prison under the National Security Act before being released in March 2026. He had barely recovered. But when Dipke's movement began escalating, Wangchuk made a decision.
On June 28, Wangchuk and Dipke visited Rajghat together, paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Then they returned to Jantar Mantar, where Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike. He is now on his fourth day without food. On Day 3, his blood sugar dropped to 66 mg/dL — below the safe range — as Delhi's scorching heat bore down on the protest site. His doctor, Dr Satish Lamba, confirmed his BP was 117/60, oxygen saturation 96%, pulse 92 — stable but concerning.
Social media lit up overnight with rumours that Wangchuk had secretly eaten chicken soup. Dr Lamba addressed this directly: his clinical parameters did not support the allegation. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka was blunter: "Any adverse outcome from this fast will be Dharmendra Pradhan's responsibility."
Chapter Three
Why This Is Bigger Than NEET
NEET-UG 2026 was supposed to be India's most secure medical entrance exam. It wasn't. The paper was leaked before the exam was held — and instead of accountability, students got a cancellation notice. More than 20 have died by suicide since. Their families now sit beside Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar, holding photographs of children who studied for years for a test that never happened fairly.
On June 30, Dipke revealed a new leak: the Rajasthan Paramedical Council exam paper, allegedly leaked from a Jaipur college. He called it proof of "double engine — double leak" under the BJP government. His message was stark: "Do not think this is only about NEET. If you do not raise your voice today, tomorrow your paper can also be leaked."
The movement's ambitions have grown too. Dipke announced CJP will now also take on electoral accountability — specifically the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which critics allege has been used to selectively delete voter names. A meme page has become a constitutional watchdog. Whether you find that inspiring or alarming depends entirely on which side of the barricade you're on.
Now wear it.
Chapter Four
Is Anyone in Delhi Listening?
The government's official position is silence. Forty-six days since CJP launched. Twelve days since the sit-in began. Four days since Wangchuk stopped eating. No minister has visited Jantar Mantar. No concession has been offered. The nearest thing to an acknowledgement is that Delhi Police has been deployed in force — not to protect the protesters, but to stop more from joining.
And yet, something is shifting. Reports circulating since June 29 suggest a major Cabinet reshuffle is imminent — with multiple sources indicating Dharmendra Pradhan's position at the Education Ministry is "under a cloud." Nirmala Sitharaman is reportedly being considered as his replacement. Former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das is being floated for Finance. The government has denied nothing and confirmed nothing.
Wangchuk read the reshuffle rumours from his mat at Jantar Mantar. His reaction: "After I started this agitation, I have been hearing that the government wants to talk on the Ladakh front — and about a possible Cabinet reshuffle. That tells me the government is listening to the voice of the people." Whether it acts is another question entirely.
— CJP Official Tagline
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