Indian police and paramilitary forces raided to detain Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent activist and educator, forcibly hospitalizing him after his health worsened during a continuous 21-day hunger strike protesting the Education Minister’s role in an exam leak case, while protesters vowed to continue their demonstration and march to parliament as scheduled.
Authorities in New Delhi, India, took 59-year-old social activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday (18 Jul) against his will after his health severely deteriorated from a 21-day continuous hunger strike.
Wangchuk began his hunger strike on 28 June to support the "Cockroach Party" (CJP) movement, which started as satirical online activism before evolving into protests demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, India's Education Minister, following a major exam leak in May that affected millions of students. They also called for reforms in the country's examination system.
Television footage and videos from the protest site at Jantar Mantar showed dozens of police and paramilitary officers surrounding the protest stage early Saturday, deploying a large white cloth screen to block views before moving Wangchuk onto an ambulance, amid protesters’ attempts to intervene but being pushed back.
Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali Angmo, stated on platform X that her husband was hospitalized and urged doctors not to administer any medication, food, or IV fluids without consent from the family and his medical team who had been monitoring him throughout the hunger strike.
Safdarjung Hospital reported that Wangchuk remained conscious but was fatigued and dehydrated from prolonged fasting. Doctors recommended intravenous fluids, but he refused all treatments including IV fluids, electrolyte solutions, and medication, while they continued to monitor his condition closely.
Wangchuk’s personal physician highlighted that the most critical concern is the risk of life-threatening low blood potassium levels, which requires urgent treatment with intravenous fluids and minerals.
New Delhi police stated that Wangchuk’s transfer was ordered by the Delhi High Court, which on Thursday directed the government to closely monitor the activist’s health and provide immediate treatment if necessary, following a petition requesting intervention to prevent harm to his life.
Before being hospitalized, Wangchuk affirmed he would not end his hunger strike and intended to join the march to the Indian parliament on 20 July, the opening day of the monsoon parliamentary session. He told protesters, "My body is weak, but my spirit remains strong," adding wryly that if he dies before the march, "my spirit will walk with everyone."
After Wangchuk’s removal from the protest site, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke began a hunger strike in his place, reaffirming that the march to parliament will proceed as planned and escalating demands from the Education Minister’s resignation to also calling for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign.
The incident drew criticism from multiple opposition parties, describing the state’s use of force as alarming and an assault on democratic principles. Civil society leaders and opposition figures called on the government to open negotiations with protesters.
Wangchuk is an educator and activist from Ladakh, known for promoting educational innovation and environmental conservation, and inspiring the popular Indian film 3 Idiots. He was detained for about six months last year during protests in Ladakh and released in March this year. Throughout, he denied government allegations, insisting his activism is peaceful and aimed at pushing public policy reforms.