Authorities in India’s capital, New Delhi, transferred social activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital after his health deteriorated on the 21st day of a hunger strike demanding the resignation of the country’s education minister.
Wangchuk, 59, has been on a fast since June 28 in solidarity with the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is calling for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign following exam paper leaks in May that affected millions of students.
His protest has become one of the most prominent public challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, attracting widespread support across India and generating millions of views and shares on social media.
Television footage on Saturday showed dozens of police officers and security personnel, both in uniform and plainclothes, arriving at the protest site. They held up large white cloth sheets around the stage before authorities escorted Wangchuk away.
He was not visible in the broadcast footage.
Police ask protesters to leave
“In compliance with the court’s order, and based on his health condition and medical advice, Mr. Sonam Wangchuk has been moved from here to an appropriate government hospital for much-needed medical intervention and is currently under medical supervision,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma told reporters at the protest site.
On Thursday, the Delhi High Court ordered authorities to closely monitor Wangchuk’s health and intervene if necessary in response to a petition seeking to have him force-fed as his condition worsened.
Police also removed some CJP supporters who were staging a sit-in at the venue, ordering them to vacate the area. Footage showed one female protester being lifted by policewomen and carried away.
ANI, a news agency in which Reuters has a minority stake, reported that Wangchuk was conscious and his vital signs were stable at the hospital.
“They dragged Sonam Sir away. A 60-year-old man who had been on a hunger strike for 20 days and hadn’t eaten a thing was forcibly dragged away by the Delhi Police. We have no idea where they have taken him,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told reporters.
CJP protesters said they would march to India’s Parliament on July 20, when the monsoon session begins, to press their demand for Pradhan’s resignation and seek reforms to the examination system.
“I am starting an indefinite hunger strike right now,” Dipke posted on X.
At the center of protests
Wangchuk has been at the center of the CJP protests, lying on a mattress in the middle of a stage as supporters and visitors gathered around him.
Last year, Modi’s government accused Wangchuk of inciting people through what it described as provocative statements during violent protests in the federal territory of Ladakh, where he is from. Wangchuk spent about six months in jail before being released in March. He has denied the allegations, saying the violence reflected public frustration with the federal government.
On the third day of his fast, Wangchuk told Reuters he planned to continue the hunger strike for six weeks unless he died first.
“But hopefully, we don’t have to go that far,” he said. “A sensitive government in a democracy listens to the pain of the people, and I hope they will take action.”
The hunger strike has drawn widespread attention on social media. More than 100,000 Instagram Reels have been posted urging Wangchuk to end his protest.
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