Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted from Jantar Mantar to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital early Saturday morning, after his health deteriorated on the 21st day of his hunger strike. The move has set off a wave of political reactions and renewed scrutiny of how the Delhi Police handled the protest site.
What Happened at Jantar Mantar
Delhi Police moved Wangchuk to hospital at 7:40 am, citing medical advice and a direction from the Delhi High Court. Safdarjung Hospital later confirmed that he is weak and dehydrated from prolonged fasting but currently stable, and needs continuous monitoring to restore his body's normal parameters.
Key details from the ground:
- Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, in support of a protest led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and student deaths linked to the controversy.
- His wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, said no medical treatment should be administered without her consent, and said she would hold authorities accountable if anything happened to him.
- CJP founder Abhijit Dipke alleged he was detained and beaten during the police action at the protest site, and announced his own indefinite hunger strike shortly after Wangchuk was taken away.
- Police maintained that the removal was carried out for "essential medical care" and appealed to remaining protesters to vacate the site peacefully.
- Heavy police and paramilitary deployment was seen at Jantar Mantar and around Safdarjung Hospital through the morning, with barricades put up to manage the crowd.
The Sequence of Events
According to police accounts, there was a brief commotion during the early morning operation, with officers saying some protesters tried to obstruct the exercise. Security was tightened in the New Delhi district soon after, as news of Wangchuk's removal spread and supporters began gathering near the hospital.
The Political Fallout
The hospitalization quickly became a flashpoint. AAP's Arvind Kejriwal said the government should have chosen dialogue over force, and accused the Centre of trying to crush the movement instead of reforming the education and examination system. AAP also alleged "force and hooliganism" in the way the protest was cleared.
Congress criticized the police action as proof that a peaceful protest was being treated as a law and order problem rather than a democratic right. TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh called it "coercive state violence," while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut shared visuals alleging that police picked up Wangchuk forcibly.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar described the Centre's handling of the situation as irresponsible, saying the government had remained a bystander instead of addressing the students' genuine demands. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby linked the crackdown to the government's failure to act against those responsible for the alleged NEET paper leak.
Solidarity demonstrations were also reported outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, where advocacy groups gathered a day earlier to back Wangchuk's protest and demand accountability from the Education Ministry.
Current Status
As of Saturday afternoon, Wangchuk remains under observation at Safdarjung Hospital. No further medical bulletin had been issued beyond the hospital's initial statement describing him as weak but stable. Dipke's newly launched hunger strike at Jantar Mantar has added a fresh layer to the standoff, with police yet to clarify how they plan to respond.
