“Sonam sir is not doing so well, and his rib cage has started showing,” said Vijeta Dahiya, spokesperson for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), speaking from New Delhi, where the educationist, Sonam Wangchuk, is on the 19th day of hunger strike. “He’s nearly 60, has lost muscle mass; the heat and humidity are not helping either and I can see him having dizzy spells,” he added.
Wangchuk, a well-known public figure in India and among international water conservation circles, is known for innovations such as the ice stupa, which communities in Pakistan’s Baltistan region have also sought to replicate. He is a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as Asia’s Nobel Prize. Last year, he was invited to speak at Dawn’s Breathe conference.
“His coming aboard has given our cause a huge boost,” said Dahiya and explained how the online satirical political movement, founded on 16 May 2026, emerged in response to remarks by Justice Surya Kant, a judge of the Supreme Court of India, likening unemployed youth to “cockroaches.” Since then, it has gained momentum while campaigning against examination scandals, unemployment and other governance issues.
Sonam Wangchuk at the protest venue in New Delhi. — Photo by author
