Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk forcibly taken to hospital after 20-day hunger strike
Indian activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, on hunger strike for 20 days in Delhi, has been forcibly removed from his protest site and taken to a hospital.
Sonam Wangchuk, a 59-year-old Indian activist and educationist, has been forcibly removed from his protest site in Delhi after a 20-day hunger strike. He was protesting in support of an online satirical movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is demanding educational reforms. The protesters had planned a march to India's parliament on Monday.
On Saturday morning around 7:30 local time, chaos erupted at the protest site when dozens of police and paramilitary personnel swooped in on the stage where the activist was lying down. Protesters who tried to stop them were pushed away. Wangchuk was covered with curtains made of bedsheets before being removed from the stage. Minutes later, an ambulance was seen speeding away.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who had been by Wangchuk's side throughout the protest, said he was not told where Wangchuk was taken. A senior police official stated that Wangchuk was moved "in compliance with a court order, and based on health conditions and medical advice." Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma confirmed that Wangchuk was taken to a government hospital for medical intervention and is under medical supervision.
This follows a Delhi High Court order on Thursday that directed the federal government to monitor Wangchuk's health regularly and provide necessary treatment if needed. Wangchuk had refused to end his indefinite hunger strike despite growing calls to do so. He insisted on participating in Monday's march to parliament. "I've grown weak from the outside but I'm strong from within," he told the crowd at the protest venue a few days ago. He also joked that if he died before the march, his "ghost would join the march."
The CJP began in May as an online satirical movement to protest against paper leaks and other irregularities in India's top exams and has gained a massive following on social media. The protesters, who call themselves cockroaches, have been protesting for a month. Some student organizations have also joined Wangchuk in his fast.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a key entrance exam for aspiring doctors was cancelled in early May following a paper leak. They say the minister must take moral responsibility and resign. Pradhan has dismissed the CJP and its supporters as "the B-team of disruptive elements." The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not engaged with the protesters yet.
However, there has been growing pressure from the opposition and civil society leaders. On Thursday, former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal visited Wangchuk. He appealed to the government to engage with the protesters and said that "Pradhan should be removed from his post and replaced by Wangchuk."
