Indian police swoop in to remove hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk from protest site

Police have removed the hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk from his protest site in Delhi and say he has been admitted to hospital after his health deteriorated. Wangchuk, 59, entered the 21st day of his hunger strike on Saturday and had earlier said it would last six weeks unless he died first. He began his fast in solidarity with India's viral Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is demanding the country’s education minister resign over exam paper leaks that affected millions of would-be medical students.

The CJP accused Delhi Police of “kidnapping” Wangchuk, while the party’s founder Abhijeet Dipke said he was beaten and briefly detained by police on Saturday while attempting to return to the protest site at Jantar Mantar in the capital.Dipke called for nationwide protests in a video posted on X. “We need to send a message that the people won’t accept this kind of dictatorship,” he said.

Police said the decision to shift Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital was taken in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court and on the advice of medical experts. open image in galleryMembers of the Indian security forces tussle with a supporter of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after authorities took Sonam Wangchuk, an Indian education reformer, who has been on hunger strike, to the hospital (Reuters)They admitted there was a brief commotion as large numbers of officers approached the stage to remove Wangchuk, saying some protesters attempted to “obstruct” the exercise.Videos from the protest site showed police personnel holding up white sheets around Wangchuk as he was brought down from the stage.

Security has been stepped up at Jantar Mantar and across parts of New Delhi following Wangchuk’s removal, according to PTI. Additional personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces were deployed, while barricades were erected at key locations to regulate the movement of protesters and visitors.Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said Wangchuk had been shifted to an “appropriate government hospital which was [a] much needed medical intervention and under medical supervision”.

open image in galleryAuthorities cover the stage with cloth as they prepare to take Sonam Wangchuk, an Indian education reformer who has been on hunger strike, to the hospital (Reuters)On Thursday, the Delhi High Court had asked authorities to watch Wangchuk’s health closely and intervene if needed, in response to a petition asking authorities to force-feed him as his health weakened.The CJP compared Wangchuk’s fast to the non-violent protests of India’s independence icon Mahatma Gandhi, writing on X: “Sonam Wangchuk was peacefully protesting in a Gandhian way in Gandhi’s land. But [education minister] Dharmendra Pradhan – the Minister whose actions led to 20+ students dying – he can enjoy the good life!”

Protesters from the CJP earlier said they would march to India's parliament on 20 July, when the monsoon session begins, to press their demand for Pradhan's resignation and seek exam reforms.Wangchuk has been at the centre of CJP's protests in recent weeks, lying on a mattress in the middle of a stage.open image in galleryAbhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, talks on his mobile phone as educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk lies beside him (AP)Last year, prime minister Narendra Modi's government accused Wangchuk of inciting people through what it said were provocative statements during violent protests in the federal Himalayan territory of Ladakh, to which he belongs.

Wangchuk spent about six months in jail before being released in March this year. He has denied the allegations against him, and said the violent protests were a reflection of the frustration with the federal government.On the third day of his current fast, Wangchuk told Reuters he was willing to die for the cause.

“But hopefully, we don't have to go that far,” he had said. “A sensitive government in a democracy listens to the pains of the people, and I hope they will take action.”Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments