Sonam Wangchuk is an engineer, innovator, and activist from the region of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas. He began as an engineer working to reform education in Ladakh and later became the face of its demands for constitutional protections and autonomy, often using hunger strikes to open dialogue with the Indian government.
In 2026 he gained nationwide attention when he lent his support to a youth-led protest organized by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party in the national capital, New Delhi, calling for reforms in nationwide examination processes for college admissions. To show his commitment to the cause, he embarked on a weeks-long fast before he was abruptly carried away from the protest site and taken to a hospital by local police. He ended his fast on the 26th day, after a public address by the prime minister assuring that his cabinet would take “strict action” on the issue of examination mismanagement through parliamentary process.