Delhi Police removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Saturday and shifted him to a hospital [1, 2].
The incident has intensified tensions between activists and law enforcement, as supporters allege the removal was a forced detention rather than a medical necessity.
Wangchuk had been fasting to protest alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) [3, 4]. Police said the activist was moved to a hospital for health reasons following the duration of his strike [3]. However, reports from the Hindustan Times said that Wangchuk did not want to go to the hospital and was taken away hidden under white sheets [2].
Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), reacted to the removal by breaking down in tears on camera [1, 2]. Dipke said, "I am breaking down; I cannot continue without Sonam" [1]. Following the removal of Wangchuk, Dipke announced that he would begin his own indefinite hunger strike [1, 3].
Dipke and the CJP have raised serious allegations regarding the conduct of the Delhi Police during the operation. Dipke said, "We were beaten and put under detention" [3]. He further defended Wangchuk's character and legal standing, stating, "He’s not a criminal" [2].
The clash at Jantar Mantar marks a volatile escalation in the campaign against exam irregularities. While authorities maintain the move was a humanitarian effort to save Wangchuk's life, the CJP characterizes the event as an assault on democratic protest, and a forced disappearance from the public eye [2, 3].
“"He’s not a criminal."”
The forced removal of a high-profile activist like Sonam Wangchuk from a public protest site suggests a tightening of state control over dissent in New Delhi. By shifting the protest from a physical hunger strike to a medical emergency, the government effectively neutralizes the immediate visual impact of the demonstration, while the subsequent hunger strike by Abhijeet Dipke indicates that the movement may pivot toward broader allegations of police brutality.
