In New Delhi, the ancient tension between individual conscience and state authority played out once more at Jantar Mantar, where climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was removed by police on the 21st day of a hunger strike he had undertaken to demand accountability over examination irregularities affecting students across India. A Delhi High Court order citing his deteriorating health provided the legal framework for the intervention, yet the manner of his removal became its own contested story — one in which the same act could be read as either rescue or suppression, dependi
Police move hunger-striking activist to hospital; protesters claim forcible removal
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's health deteriorated significantly after 21 days of hunger strike; he was forcibly removed from protest site and hospitalized, with activist supporters also allegedly assaulted by police.
A 60-year-old man who hadn't eaten in 20 days was forcibly removed
Mark
Why did the court order the removal if Wangchuk was willing to stay and continue his fast?
Mimi
The court was operating on a different logic—not about his political demands, but about his body. After 21 days without food, a person's organs begin to fail. The judges saw a life in danger and felt obligated to intervene, regardless of his consent.
Mark
But couldn't they have just monitored him at the site, as the court initially ordered?
Mimi
In theory, yes. But once his condition crossed a certain threshold, the medical advice shifted from "watch him closely" to "he needs hospital care now." The police say they were following that medical judgment. The activists say the timing was convenient—removing him right before the planned march to Parliament.
Mark
What's the actual dispute here—the force used, or the removal itself?
Mimi
Both. The activists say police dragged him roughly, used abusive language, and beat other protesters. The police say they were restrained and professional. But underneath that is a deeper question: should the state override a person's chosen form of protest to save their life?
Mark
Is there precedent for this kind of intervention?
Mimi
Courts have done it before—removing hunger strikers for medical reasons. But it's always contentious because it assumes the state knows better than the person what they need. In this case, the court believed Wangchuk's life was at genuine risk.
Mark
What happens now?
Mimi
Wangchuk is in a government hospital under medical supervision. The protest site is being cleared. The march to Parliament that was planned for July 20 is now in question. The movement lost its most visible symbol at a crucial moment.
Il Polso
- After 21 days without food, Wangchuk's health had declined sharply enough that a Delhi High Court bench declared his life precious and ordered daily medical monitoring — setting the legal stage for a confrontation neither side wanted to call what it was.
- At 7 a.m. on a July morning, police arrived at Jantar Mantar and removed the 60-year-old activist, with fellow organizers alleging he was dragged away amid shouted abuse and that students were beaten with lathis when they tried to intervene.
- Delhi Police pushed back firmly, with a senior officer stating on social media that the removal was conducted in full compliance with court directions and medical expert advice, and that officers showed 'maximum restraint' amid what he called only 'slight commotion.'
- The dispute over what actually happened — forceful removal or lawful medical intervention — has sharpened into a broader question about whether the state can invoke a person's health to silence the very protest that person has chosen to wage with their body.
- With a planned march to Parliament scheduled for July 20 now thrown into uncertainty, the activist movement faces the challenge of sustaining momentum after its most visible figure has been hospitalized and its protest site cleared.
In New Delhi, the ancient tension between individual conscience and state authority played out once more at Jantar Mantar, where climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was removed by police on the 21st day of a hunger strike he had undertaken to demand accountability over examination irregularities affecting students across India. A Delhi High Court order citing his deteriorating health provided the legal framework for the intervention, yet the manner of his removal became its own contested story — one in which the same act could be read as either rescue or suppression, depending on who was telling it. Such moments remind us that the hunger strike, as a form of protest, places the body itself at the center of a moral argument, and that when the state moves to preserve that body, it does not always extinguish the argument.
On a July morning in New Delhi, police arrived at Jantar Mantar and removed Sonam Wangchuk — engineer, education reformer, and climate activist from Ladakh — from the site where he had been refusing food for three weeks. His hunger strike had been a demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over what he called widespread examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak scandal. By the 21st day, his health had deteriorated sharply, and the Delhi High Court had already issued orders for medical monitoring and intervention, noting that 'the life of every citizen is precious.'
What followed became a matter of fierce dispute. Fellow organizer Abhijeet Dipke said he stepped out early that morning and returned to find police dragging the 60-year-old activist away while shouting abuse. He alleged that when he tried to reach the site, officers assaulted him as well, and that students were beaten with lathis. He described the officers as 'RSS goons' rather than legitimate police, and expressed disbelief at being treated as a criminal for participating in lawful protest.
Delhi Police offered a different account. Deputy Commissioner Sachin Sharma stated that Wangchuk had been shifted to a government hospital in compliance with the High Court's directions and on the advice of medical experts. He acknowledged 'slight commotion' when protesters tried to obstruct the removal, but said officers had exercised 'maximum restraint' and urged remaining demonstrators to vacate peacefully.
The court order authorizing the move had come two days earlier, when a Division Bench heard a public interest petition raising concerns about Wangchuk's condition. Wangchuk's movement had also announced plans to march to Parliament on July 20 to press their demands — plans now thrown into uncertainty. The confrontation raised a question that neither court orders nor police statements fully resolve: where exactly does the line fall between protecting a person's health and silencing the protest they have chosen to wage with their own body.
On a July morning in New Delhi, police arrived at Jantar Mantar and removed Sonam Wangchuk from the protest site where he had been refusing food for three weeks. The climate activist, an engineer and education reformer from Ladakh, had staged the hunger strike to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over what he characterized as widespread examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak scandal. By the time officers came for him on the 21st day of his fast, his health had deteriorated sharply enough that the Delhi High Court had already issued orders for his medical monitoring and intervention.
What happened next became a matter of fierce dispute. Abhijeet Dipke, a founder of the Cockroach Janata Party and fellow organizer at the protest, said he stepped out early that morning to freshen up and returned to find police removing Wangchuk by force. He told reporters that officers arrived around 7 a.m., dragged the 60-year-old activist away while shouting abuse, and that when Dipke himself tried to reach the site after learning what was happening, police assaulted him as well. Dipke characterized the officers as "RSS goons" rather than legitimate police, and expressed bewilderment at being treated as a criminal for returning to his own country to participate in protest. Saurav Das, the party's chief spokesperson, posted on social media that police had detained Dipke and were removing Wangchuk from the site, and that students were being beaten with lathis.
The Delhi Police offered a different account. Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma stated in a post on X that Wangchuk had been shifted to a government hospital in compliance with directions from the Delhi High Court and on the advice of medical experts concerned about his deteriorating condition. Sharma acknowledged that "slight commotion" had occurred when protesters tried to obstruct the removal, but said police had exercised "maximum restraint" and conducted the operation safely. He urged the remaining protesters to vacate Jantar Mantar peacefully.
The court order that authorized the move had come two days earlier, when a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia heard a public interest petition raising concerns about Wangchuk's health. The bench directed that his medical condition be monitored daily and that any necessary medical intervention, based on the opinion of government doctors, be provided. The court noted that "the life of every citizen is precious and all efforts ought to be made by the government authorities to save the same."
Wangchuk's hunger strike was part of a broader push by his movement. He and his supporters had announced plans to march to Parliament on July 20 to press their demands regarding the education minister and the exam irregularities they said had harmed students across the country. The removal from Jantar Mantar and the police action against protesters marked a sharp escalation in the confrontation between the activist movement and state authorities, raising questions about where the line falls between protecting a person's health and respecting their right to protest.
Citazioni salienti
They dragged Sonam Sir away while hurling abuse at him. These aren't police officers; they are RSS goons.— Abhijeet Dipke, Cockroach Janata Party founder
In compliance with the Hon'ble High Court's order and based on health conditions and medical advice, Mr Sonam Wangchuk has been moved to an appropriate government hospital for much-needed medical intervention.— Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma
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Health & Medicine