Sonam Wangchuk removed from Jantar Mantar on Day 21 of hunger strike, taken to hospital; chaos erupts | India News
NEW DELHI: Activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from Jantar Mantar early Saturday and taken to VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital as his hunger strike against alleged irregularities in the NEET examination entered Day 21.Wangchuk was removed from the stage 48 hours before his planned march to Parliament, which is scheduled for the first day of the Monsoon Session on Monday.Amid heavy security, police personnel in plain clothes entered the protest site, climbed onto the stage, draped Wangchuk and the entire scene with a white sheet to prevent the operation from being captured on camera. The entire thing unfolded within a few minutes.Simultaneously, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was also detained.“I have beaten and put under detention by Delhi Police,” Dipke posted on X.
What Delhi Police said
Delhi Police said the Ladakh activist was removed as per the orders of high court and on expert medical advise due to his deteriorating health condition.“He has been shifted to the hospital for essential medical care…We request the protestors at Jantar Mantar to peacefully vacate the place at the earliest,” DCP New Delhi posted on X. The police also urged the protestors at the site to “peacefully vacate the place at the earliest”, saying the cops faced obstruction while “complying with the orders” of the high court.“While complying with the orders of Hon’ble High Court the protestors tried to create obstruction, in which slight commotion ensued, however police took maximum restrain and undertook the exercise safely. We request the protestors at Jantar Mantar to peacefully vacate the place at the earliest,” the Delhi Police wrote on X.
Dipke claims Delhi Police beat him up
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday claimed that he was “beaten and put under detention” by the Delhi Police as chaos erupted at Jantar Mantar after Sonam Wangchuk was taken to hospital.In a social media post on X, Dipke alleged that the Delhi Police was cracking down at Jantar Mantar and beating people.Dipke also said that they’ll march to Parliament on July 20 without Wangchuk, saying: “If they think that taking Sonam Sir away will end this movement, they are mistaken.” “Until now, we were demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, but after this despicable act, we will now demand the resignation of Narendra Modi,” he further said.Earlier, Dipke alleged that “goons tried to attack” activist Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar amid his ongoing hunger strike. In a social media post on X, Dipke said that an object was thrown at Wangchuk, but he was not hurt.“Goons tried to attack Sonam sir at Jantar Mantar. An object was thrown at him, but fortunately, he was not hurt,” Dipke said.
Action amid Wangchuk’s health concerns
According to Wangchuk’s medical team, as of 9.30 am on Friday, he showed signs of mild dehydration and weighed 56.55 kg, having lost 350 grams in the previous 24 hours as he entered Day 20 of the fast. His blood pressure was 108/68 mmHg, blood sugar 70 mg/dL and pulse 72 per minute. Doctors said he had entered the third stage of prolonged fasting, where organ involvement is possible, and remained under round-the-clock medical monitoring.Sonam Wangchuk lost more than 9kgs since beginning his indefinite hunger strike, with doctors warning that he may soon enter a potentially “alarming” phase involving organ damage.On the Day 19 of his fast, Dr Satish Lamba, providing an update on Wangchuk’s health, said the activist remained mentally alert and medically stable, but warned that doctors were closely monitoring his condition in case it deteriorated.
Detained before planned march
In a video message shared at the end of the Day 20 of his fast on Friday, Wangchuk urged people to join the CJP Parliament march on July 20 in large numbers, saying public participation was the movement’s biggest strength.“Yes, I am still alive. Twenty per cent of my body is gone. After fats, muscles are gone. After that, organs will go. Finally, the brain. The time has not come yet,” Wangchuk said.ALSO READ | Wangchuk shifted to Safdarjung hospital after 20 days of indefinite fastSeeking to reassure supporters about his condition, he added, “The 20th day is coming to an end. Let me prove that my mind is still fine.”Referring to questions over whether the ongoing agitation would lead to accountability or the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Wangchuk said people often underestimated the power of mass movements.“I ask you — do the people of India love their children’s lives and education more, or onions?” he said, before recalling that governments had fallen in the past over public anger triggered by soaring onion prices.“Three times governments fell in India because of a people’s movement. Once in 1980, the central government fell. In 1998, the Delhi government fell. That year, the Rajasthan government also fell. And what was the movement about? Onion prices,” he said.The CJP was holding a protest at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, a judicial probe into the alleged examination scams and wider reforms in the examination system.Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and was remain on an indefinite hunger strike since then.
