Reported by Shreya Chakraborty, KICI TV News, July 18th, 2026
Prominent Indian social activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly removed by the Delhi Police from his protest site at Jantar Mantar early Saturday morning and shifted to a government hospital, ending his 20-day-long indefinite hunger strike under dramatic circumstances.
The 59-year-old activist had been on a fast unto death since June 28, demanding the resignation of India’s federal Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, following widespread irregularities and paper leaks in the country’s premier medical entrance exams.
Chaos erupted at the demonstration site around 7:30 AM when a large contingent of police personnel, some in uniform and others in plain clothes, descended upon the protest stage. Eyewitness accounts and video footage from the scene showed officers using large white sheets to block the view of onlookers and journalists as they hurriedly lifted a visibly frail Wangchuk from his bed. Supporters and student volunteers tried to form a human chain to prevent the police action, resulting in minor scuffles before the activist was driven away in an ambulance.
In an official statement, the Delhi Police defended the action, stating it was carried out in compliance with directives from the Delhi High Court. On Thursday, the court had ruled that “the life of any citizen is precious” and ordered government doctors to closely monitor his vitals, authorizing immediate intervention if his condition turned critical.
”As per the orders of the Honorable High Court and on expert medical advice due to the deteriorating health condition of Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, he has been shifted to the hospital for essential medical care,” a Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police said.
Wangchuk was admitted to the emergency ward of the state-run Safdarjung Hospital. Medical bulletins released by the hospital authorities indicate that while the activist is currently conscious and stable, he is suffering from severe weakness, generalized muscle mass loss, and advanced dehydration after refusing solid food for three weeks. Doctors noted that Wangchuk had lost nearly 20 percent of his body mass during the fast.
However, the political standoff shows no signs of cooling down. According to hospital officials, Wangchuk is currently refusing intravenous (IV) fluids, oral rehydration solutions, and vital medications, demanding that he be allowed to continue his agitation. His wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, issued a public statement asserting that no forced medical procedures should be performed on her husband without the family’s explicit consent.
The hunger strike was backed by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-centric political outfit leading the protests against the federal government’s handling of the examination system. Shortly after Wangchuk’s hospitalisation, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke slammed the government for “kidnapping” the activist rather than engaging in dialogue, and immediately launched his own indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in solidarity.
The police intervention comes just two days before a mass march to the Indian Parliament that Wangchuk and youth groups had planned for Monday to escalate their demands. Security has been heavily tightened around the protest site and Safdarjung Hospital as student groups vow to continue their demonstrations.
