Sonam Wangchuk Hospitalised After 20‑Day Hunger Strike, Delhi Police Tighten Security
Activist and engineer Sonam Wangchuk, 59, was forcibly taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 after his health deteriorated during a 20‑day hunger strike at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Wangchuk has been fasting since June 28 to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET medical‑exam paper.
The Delhi High Court had ordered daily medical monitoring, and doctors advised immediate intervention. Acting on the court’s direction and medical advice, Delhi police moved Wangchuk to the hospital, deploying additional police and paramilitary forces around the protest site. A brief commotion occurred when some protesters tried to block the removal, but police said they exercised “maximum restraint.”
Wangchuk was reported stable but weak, with mild dehydration, and will remain under observation. His wife Gitanjali Angmo demanded that no treatment be administered without family consent. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke announced an indefinite hunger strike in response, accusing police of “forceful abduction” and calling for a march to Parliament on July 20. Opposition leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party and other parties criticized the police action, while US‑based advocacy groups expressed solidarity with Wangchuk’s cause.