Sonam Wangchuk, an Indian educationist and activist, was forcibly removed from his demonstration site in Delhi following a 20-day hunger strike. The 59-year-old had been subsisting only on water and salt to support the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical online group campaigning for comprehensive educational reform. Wangchuk had suffered a weight loss exceeding 9kg and was experiencing significant physical distress before police and paramilitary forces intervened on Saturday morning.
Video footage captured security personnel swarming the stage and shielding Wangchuk with bedsheets before transporting him to an ambulance. Gitanjali Angmo, his wife, confirmed his admission to Safdarjung Hospital, demanding that no medical procedures be performed without the express consent of his family and personal doctors. Medical officials at the hospital reported that while Wangchuk is frail and mildly dehydrated, he remains stable and alert. Police Deputy Commissioner Sachin Sharma stated the removal was executed in accordance with a Delhi High Court directive to ensure the activist received necessary medical care.
Despite the disruption, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has pledged to continue the movement, initiating his own indefinite fast and confirming that the planned march to parliament will proceed on 20 July. The protesters are calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and following Wangchuk’s removal, they have extended their demands to include the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Opposition leaders have criticized the police action as an undemocratic display of state coercion.
