Delhi Police removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar and took him to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning with heavy deployment at the protest site as his indefinite hunger strike stretched into its 21st day. The move came a day after Anurag Kumar took over as Delhi Police Commissioner, and set off a scramble as supporters tried to physically stop Wangchuk from being taken away, according to The Indian Express.

The Hindu reported that police climbed onto the protest dais and shielded Wangchuk from view as he was moved – a detail that would later fuel questions online about what the police were trying to hide. It further reported that Wangchuk was admitted to the emergency ward of the Safdarjung Hospital and is currently under medical supervision.

On X, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said: “Sonam Wangchuk was peacefully protesting in a Gandhian way in Gandhi’s land. But he has been forcefully kidnapped by the Police and taken away. But Dharmendra Pradhan the Minister whose actions led to 20+ students dying – he can enjoy the good life! Cockroaches unite!”

Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with the CJP, which had primarily demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the recent NEET-UG paper leak and other failures.

Police maintained they were acting under Delhi High Court orders and on medical advice, given Wangchuk’s worsening health. On X, the Deputy Commissioner of Police claimed: "As per orders of Hon'ble High Court and on expert medical advice due to the deteriorating health condition of Sh. Sonam Wangchuk, he has been shifted to the hospital for essential medical care. While complying with the orders of Hon'ble High Court, the protestors tried to create obstruction, in which slight commotion ensued. However, police exercised maximum restraint and carried out the exercise safely. We request the protestors at Jantar Mantar to peacefully vacate the place at the earliest.”

That account of the court order was contested by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, who wrote on X that the court had only directed the government to monitor Wangchuk’s health, and not to remove him from the site or clear the protest.

Dipke says he was confined; AISA hunger strikers also targeted

Away from Jantar Mantar, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke said on an Instagram Live session that he had been stopped from leaving a friend’s residence in Jhandewalan, where he’d gone to freshen up. “Claiming he had effectively been placed under house arrest, Dipke showed the gate of the housing society locked, with Delhi Police personnel stationed outside, according to The Indian Express. 

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das made a similar claim on social media, saying Dipke had been barred from returning to the protest site, and separately alleged that police had lathi-charged protesters and moved in on the spot where some students were holding their own hunger strike.

Delhi Police disputed this: DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said, “In accordance with the Honorable High Court's order and considering his health condition and expert medical advice, Mr Sonam Wangchuk has been shifted from here to a government hospital for treatment; there has been absolutely no lathi-charge or anything of that sort.”

According to Deccan Herald journalist Shemin Joy, three AISA leaders remained on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar even after Wangchuk was removed, with students forming a human chain to prevent them from being taken away as well. Joy also reported that Abhijeet Dipke had arrived at the site to join the protest in solidarity.

CJP founder Abhijit Dipke is now on an indefinite hunger strike himself, according to the party’s official handles.

Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, confirmed on X that she was at Safdarjung Hospital where he had been admitted but stated in no uncertain terms: “Nothing should be administered to him orally or intravenous without take consent from me, his family and his doctors who have been monitoring his health for the past 20 days.”

According to The Hindu's Aroon Deep, the CJP has called for a nationwide protest following Wangchuk's forced hospitalisation.

The political fallout

The visuals of Wangchuk being covered and escorted away drew sharp reactions online. NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande called it “a full-scale clampdown on a democratic protest,” writing on X: “Sonam Wangchuk has been picked up from Jantar Mantar. Abhijeet Dipke has been hit and detained outside my residence. This is a full-scale clampdown on a democratic protest. How scared is the government?”

The Hindu's Vijaita Singh questioned the decision to obscure Wangchuk from cameras, posting: “Might of the State. Delhi Police forcibly takes away activist Sonam Wangchuk who has been on a hunger strike for 20-days. But why are they covering him?” Several replies to her post speculated that police wanted to avoid images of Wangchuk in visible distress.

Delhi Police, for its part, urged remaining demonstrators at Jantar Mantar to disperse peacefully.

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