It took only a few minutes on Saturday morning for Delhi Police to dismantle activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, where he had been on an indefinite hunger strike for 20 days. In a swift operation, police personnel in plain clothes and uniform moved onto the stage, surrounded the activist with white bedsheets, lifted him from his bed and whisked him away to an ambulance waiting outside the protest site.
Visuals from the scene captured the coordinated operation that unfolded shortly after 7 am on Saturday. While one group of officers pushed through the crowd and climbed onto the stage, another formed a human chain at its base, preventing protesters from approaching.
Uniformed personnel simultaneously began clearing the protest venue as plainclothes officers headed straight towards Wangchuk without engaging with organisers or supporters.
A brief scuffle also broke out as protesters attempted to resist the move. Moments later, officers stretched white bedsheets around Wangchuk, effectively shielding him from public view and television cameras.
Within minutes, the 59-year-old activist, who had not eaten for nearly three weeks, was lifted from his bed using another white sheet and carried to an ambulance stationed nearby before being taken to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.
The dramatic scenes were captured in a video shared on X by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das. Posting the footage, Das wrote, “Delhi Police has picked up Sonam Wangchuk forcefully!”
The hunger strike, which began on June 28, was part of the CJP’s campaign demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a judicial probe into examination irregularities and broader reforms in the examination system. Wangchuk was also scheduled to participate in a march to Parliament on Monday, on the first day of the Monsoon Session.
DIPKE ACCUSES DELHI POLICE OF USING FORCE
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that Delhi Police used excessive force while removing Sonam Wangchuk from the protest site. Claiming that the operation began around 7 am, Dipke said Wangchuk was “forcibly dragged away” despite having been on an indefinite hunger strike for nearly three weeks.
“At around 7 am, when I stepped out to freshen up, police arrived and dragged Sonam Sir away while hurling abuses at him. A 60-year-old man, who had not eaten for 20 days, was forcibly taken away by the Delhi Police. We have no idea where they have taken him,” Dipke alleged.
He further claimed that he was assaulted by police personnel while rushing to Jantar Mantar after learning about the operation. “These aren’t police officers; they are RSS goons,” Dipke alleged.
#WATCH | Delhi: Founding President of the Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke says, “At 7 AM, when I stepped out to freshen up, police goons arrived here. They dragged Sonam Sir away while hurling abuse at him. A 60-year-old man, who had been on a hunger strike for 20 days and pic.twitter.com/Z21kIV68sd— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2026
Delhi Police, however, said Wangchuk was shifted to hospital in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court and based on expert medical advice due to his deteriorating health.
“As per orders of Hon’ble High Court and on expert medical advise 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 took maximum restrain and undertook the exercise safely,” the police said in a statement, urging protesters to peacefully vacate Jantar Mantar.
Sources at Safdarjung Hospital said that Wangchuk was admitted to the emergency ward. “He is conscious, and his vitals are stable,” the sources said.
The police action came two days after the Delhi High Court directed the government to ensure that Sonam Wangchuk receives any medical intervention deemed necessary by the doctors monitoring his condition.
Hearing a plea seeking urgent medical care for the activist, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia ordered daily medical examinations and directed authorities to intervene whenever required, observing that “the life of any citizen is precious.”
By the 20th day of his fast, Wangchuk had lost more than 9 kg, according to a physician monitoring Wangchuk’s health. On Friday, the activist said he had lost nearly 20 per cent of his body weight since beginning the indefinite hunger strike.
– Ends
Published By:
Shipra Parashar
Published On:
Jul 18, 2026 09:23 IST
