“Together, we will march peacefully to the parliament and put forward our petitions at the altar of democracy,” he said.
The activist then joked that if he died before the march, his “ghost would join the march”.
It’s unlikely that the activist will now be able to participate, but Dipke has said that Monday’s march will happen as planned.
“If they think that taking Wangchuk away will end this movement, they are mistaken. We will remain here, and will march to parliament on 20 July,” he said.
The CJP began in May as an online satirical movement to protest against paper leaks and other irregularities in India’s top exams and has gained a massive following on social media.
The protesters, who call themselves cockroaches, have been protesting for a month now. Members of some student organisations have also joined Wangchuk in his fast.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a key entrance exam for aspiring doctors was cancelled in early May following a paper leak. They say the minister must take moral responsibility and quit.
Pradhan has dismissed the CJP and its supporters as “the B-team of disruptive elements”. And Modi’s government has not engaged with the protesters yet.
Following Saturday’s action, CJP also demanded Modi’s resignation. “Until now, we were demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, but after this despicable act, we will now demand the resignation of Narendra Modi,” Dipke said.
MPs from several opposition parties condemned the action against Wangchuk, describing it as “shocking coercive state violence” and “an assault on democracy”.
In recent days, there was growing pressure from the opposition and civil society leaders for the government to engage with the protesters.
On Thursday, former Delhi chief minister and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal visited Wangchuk.
In a video shared by CJP, Kejriwal is seen greeting the activist with folded hands before shaking his hand. He appealed to the government to engage with the protesters.
“Every year, exam papers get leaked and youth pay the price,” he said. “I appeal to the government to listen to students and Wangchuk.”
He added that “Pradhan should be removed from his post and replaced by Wangchuk”.
