Delhi Police shifted activist Sonam Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning after clearing the Jantar Mantar protest site [1], [2].
The forced removal comes as Wangchuk's health deteriorated following a prolonged hunger strike, raising concerns over the government's response to his demands.
Wangchuk had been fasting for between 20 and 21 days [1] before police intervened on July 18 [3]. The action followed a Delhi High Court order requiring daily health checks for the activist [4]. Despite being under medical supervision, Wangchuk continues to resist treatment.
"Sonam Wangchuk is refusing IV fluids and medication," a hospital official said [4].
Before his removal from the site, Wangchuk issued a final message regarding the volatility of political power. "Governments have fallen over onions," Wangchuk said [5].
While the police have cleared the physical protest area, supporters of the movement intend to maintain their momentum. The activist's allies have indicated that the removal will not end the demonstration.
"We will continue the protest and the march on July 20," Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, said [6].
The transfer to Safdarjung Hospital [4] marks a critical point in the protest as the activist's physical condition becomes the primary focus of the standoff between the protesters and the Delhi administration.
“"Sonam Wangchuk is refusing IV fluids and medication,"”
The hospitalization of Sonam Wangchuk transitions the protest from a political demonstration to a medical emergency. By refusing IV fluids and medication, Wangchuk is extending his hunger strike within a clinical setting, effectively turning the hospital into a new site of resistance. The planned march on July 20 suggests that the removal from Jantar Mantar may galvanize supporters rather than disperse them.
