Sonam Wangchuk forcibly hospitalised; CJP founder begins fast, vows to march to Parliament on July 20

Activist Sonam Wangchuk was whisked away by police from the Jantar Mantar protest site on Saturday morning (July 18, 2026), in a setback for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.Also read: Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike highlights on July 18, 2026Mr. Wangchuk, who is on the 21st day of an indefinite hunger strike, was grabbed behind raised curtains by plainclothes officers in a matter of minutes, shortly after mobile internet was briefly shut down in the area, according to two people at the site.

He has been admitted to the Safdarjung government hospital.The forced hospitalisation came two days before the CJP’s planned march to Parliament, which the activist had insisted he would attend. Gitanjali J.

Angmo, Mr. Wangchuk’s wife, said that she was not able to visit him with a smartphone in hand, and that his personal physician and lawyer were not being allowed access. Central security personnel were added at Safdarjung Hospital’s entry gates.

Related Stories‘Govt. should not test his limits’: Anna Hazare urges Centre to hold talks with Sonam WangchukCJP protest: Woman hurls ink-like liquid at Abhijeet Dipke at Jantar MantarSharad Pawar slams Centre over ‘irresponsible’ handling of Wangchuk's hunger strikeWangchuk refuses interventionsThe New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police said in a statement that Mr. Wangchuk was taken to the hospital following the Delhi High Court’s order to closely monitor his health.

The court had not specifically ordered his hospitalisation. Mr. Wangchuk refused to permit intravenous or oral medical interventions while hospitalised, the Safdarjung Hospital said in a bulletin in the afternoon.

Ms. Angmo urged the hospital to shift him to a facility of her preference. Sonam Wangchuk refuses IV fluids and medication; doctors urge him to accept treatmentAbhijeet Dipke, the CJP’s founder, was held at a flat during the police action at Jantar Mantar, and was only released upon Mr.

Wangchuk’s hospitalisation. Mr. Dipke vowed to proceed with Monday’s strike and declared that he would start his own hunger strike.

He urged people to gather at Jantar Mantar, fearing police action overnight to clear out the site. Later in the day, Mr. Dipke was subjected to an ink attack.

The Delhi police have apprehended the attacker, whose identity is yet to be released.Crowds thronged the protest site into the evening; police loudspeakers were urging them to clear out earlier in the day shortly after Mr. Wangchuk’s departure.

Three students from the CPI (ML) Liberation’s All India Students’ Association continued their concurrent hunger strike at the site.Opposition pushbackOpposition parties roundly condemned Mr. Wangchuk’s forced hospitalisation.

“The removal of Sonam Wangchuk ji from Jantar Mantar while he was on a non-violent hunger strike is wrong … No amount of force can deter India’s students, and those of us who love and believe in them, from raising these issues,” said Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who held his own programme on exam irregularities in Dehradun on Friday evening. Wangchuk’s ‘removal’ from Jantar Mantar: Congress accuses Govt.

of crushing peaceful protestFormer Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called for more crowds to gather at the protest site. Mr. Dipke and Mr.

Wangchuk “are fighting for the future of your children,” Mr. Kejriwal said in a video message. “Sitting at home won’t work anymore.

Now everyone must unite and take to the streets. Only then will something change in this country.” ‘Our children may face the same struggle’: parents join Jantar Mantar protest“The news that Mr.

Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly removed from his hunger strike site by the use of force is extremely condemnable,” Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said. “The BJP’s mindset is divisive; that is why wherever there is unity, harmony, and solidarity, the BJP, out of fear, responds like reactionaries and disperses the movements.”“A government that treats dissent as a threat instead of a democratic obligation cannot demand trust while evading accountability,” former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a post on X.

M.A. Baby condemns removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar protest site“If the Government is genuinely concerned about Sonam Wangchuk’s health, it should engage with the protesters and address their legitimate demands instead of resorting to repression,” Communist Party of India general secretary D.

Raja said on X. Published - July 18, 2026 09:00 am IST Read Comments Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit READ LATER SEE ALL Remove Related Topics Cockroach Janta Party / India / New Delhi / demonstration