India Youth Protests Weakened Modi, Hunger Striker Wangchuk Tells BBC

Sonam Wangchuk, the Indian engineer and education reformer whose 26-day hunger strike in Delhi galvanised a nationwide youth movement, told the BBC that recent mass demonstrations have 'terribly' weakened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and that young people now believe they have the power to drive change.

The 'cockroach' movement

The movement that Wangchuk's fast helped ignite takes its name from a remark made by India's chief justice, who drew widespread criticism after comparing sections of unemployed young people to 'cockroaches' during a court hearing. The comment lit the fuse on already-simmering public anger over two issues: the leak of exam papers for competitive civil service entry tests, and India's stubbornly high graduate unemployment rate — which Wangchuk says has hovered around 35-40% for the past 25 years.

Wangchuk fasted for 26 days in scorching Delhi heat, consuming only salt and water. He was forcibly removed to hospital for his final six days, an act that only intensified protest activity across the country. He says he has since regained six of the 11 kilograms he lost during the fast.

Political impact

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25, the day after Wangchuk ended his fast. Modi subsequently announced fast-track courts to prosecute those responsible for the exam leaks and appointed a technology entrepreneur to lead a reform of the national examination system. The government has also pledged compensation to families of students who died by suicide after their exam results were affected by the leaks.

Wangchuk, 59, told the BBC that the atmosphere in India had fundamentally shifted. Young people now feel they 'don't have to take everything lying down' and that 'they can change things if they want to,' he said.

Deeper problems remain

Despite the government concessions, Wangchuk argues that more fundamental educational reform is needed. India's current examination system, he contends, is built around mass efficiency rather than measuring actual skills and aptitude. This has produced graduates ill-equipped for the job market, contributing to the long-running unemployment crisis. He argues that exam design should shift toward hands-on assessment to prepare young people for a rapidly changing economy.