Activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk has rejected allegations that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest movement had links with foreign powers, including Pakistan, Bangladesh or the United States.
Speaking in a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, Wangchuk said his decision to support the movement was based on conversations with its members, publicly available information, social media analytics and what he personally observed on the ground.
When asked about the possibility of foreign influence, Wangchuk responded humorously to the question, “Are you CIA?” He joked that if he were a CIA operative, he had apparently not discovered it yet.
Wangchuk was also questioned about claims concerning CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, including questions surrounding his educational credentials and alleged foreign connections. He acknowledged that he had not personally conducted an elaborate investigation into the claims.
Instead, he said he had examined data and analytics that were being discussed at the time. According to Wangchuk, authorities, including the Lieutenant Governor, had claimed that the movement had a significant following in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the US.
Wangchuk said he checked the follower data and found that around 94 per cent of the followers were from India, while approximately six per cent were from other countries. He argued that this did not, by itself, indicate a high-risk foreign influence.
He said that if a large majority of followers had been based outside India, it would have raised serious concerns for him. However, the analytics, combined with his conversations with members and his observations of the protest, convinced him that the movement was not being controlled by a foreign power.
Wangchuk also said he remained open to further investigation into the credentials and claims made by individuals associated with the movement. He stressed that people in leadership positions should be truthful and that any misleading claims should be properly investigated.
Explaining why he ultimately supported the protests, Wangchuk said his primary concern was the issue being raised rather than the organisation or its individual members.
He referred to the deaths of students that protesters had linked to the education-related crisis, describing them as a deeply troubling and under-recognised tragedy.
Wangchuk said he joined the protesters and announced a hunger strike because he believed their cause was genuine. He maintained that, based on the information available to him at the time, he did not believe the protesters had been paid or directed by any foreign power.
Asked whether his support was ultimately for the cause rather than the organisation or the people involved, Wangchuk gave a clear answer: “Yes, for the cause.”
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