No mention of Pradhan's resignation: Sonam Wangchuk reveals when he will end his fast

Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday said he would continue his hunger strike until two specific conditions were met, but made no mention of the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan - a key demand that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has consistently raised since launching its agitation.

In a handwritten note from Safdarjung Hospital, where he has been admitted since July 18 after being shifted there by the Delhi Police, Wangchuk said he would continue his protest unless student leaders were allowed to meet Members of Parliament or he was permitted to meet them at the hospital.

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Wangchuk lays down conditions to end fast

Wangchuk said he had decided to continue his hunger strike after witnessing what he described as the "brutality" against peaceful protesters.

"Seeing the brutality with which peacefully protesting youth are being dealt with, I have decided to continue my fast until the youth leaders are allowed to meet the Parliamentarians at the Sansad Bhawan or I am allowed to meet them here at the hospital," he wrote in the note. 

Wangchuk, however, wrote: "Hopefully, Govt will fix accountability of the administrators before that."

Wangchuk also appealed to the government and Delhi Police to allow students to present their grievances before Parliament. "I am touched & moved by how the youth have held on to peace despite provocation," he said. "I'm sure the young protesters will show the same patience and tolerance tomorrow as they did today."

Notably, Wangchuk's statement did not explicitly call for Pradhan's resignation. 

The CJP has been protesting alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

Centre opens dialogue with CJP

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister JP Nadda held talks with two representatives of the CJP on Monday. This was the first direct contact between the Centre and the agitating CJP.

According to the CJP, spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das met Nadda twice within two hours at the minister's residence and submitted a memorandum listing their demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities.

Nadda said discussions with the protesters began at 11.50 am after they proposed talks with the government earlier in the day. "The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 PM," he said.

The minister said he had requested all protesters to end their sit-in and cooperate with the administration in restoring normalcy.

"The minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met," Das said in a post on X after the meeting.

Official sources said discussions within the government on the CJP protest were underway.

CJP reiterates demands

Ranka said the delegation placed three key demands before Nadda. 

"We have three demands -- Sonam Wangchuk ji should be released immediately. He wants to share a video message and should be allowed to do that. "Dharmendra Pradhan... should be immediately sacked, and Rs 1 crore compensation should be given to the families of those who committed suicide after the NEET paper leak," he said.

In its memorandum to Nadda, the CJP alleged repeated failures in the conduct of public examinations, including the NEET 2026 paper leak, CBSE Class XII portal issues and delays in CUET. It said its core demand since the beginning of the agitation had been Pradhan's removal as education minister. The memorandum also sought Wangchuk's release without restrictions on his movement.