As the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) accused the Delhi Police of using force and coercion on the protesters and “forcibly” removing activist Sonam Wangchuk from his hunger strike site at Jantar Mantar, the Opposition rained fire on the government.
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Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for the last 21 days in support of protests against the Centre’s handling of examination irregularities, was allegedly taken away to Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital on Saturday morning. The police, however, justified the action citing Delhi High Court orders pertaining to Wangchuk’s deteriorating health and denied using any force against the protesters. Track live updates on CJP protest
Several opposition leaders threw their weight behind the stir, calling the police move an assault on democracy.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dimple Yadav termed ‘forcibly removing’ Wangchuk an ‘assault on democracy and the Constitution.’
“The BJP government can no longer tolerate even peaceful protests – this is tyranny,” she wrote in a post on X.
Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the government should have held talks with Wangchuk instead of removing him forcibly. “Such arrogance is not right. Instead of forcibly lifting them up, the Modi government should have talked to Sonam Wangchuk. Instead of crushing the cockroach movement, reform the country’s education and examination system The Modi government’s defeat is in forcibly dealing with Sonam Wangchuk,” he wrote on X.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Saurabh Bhardawaj alleged that the Delhi Police used a dozen white bedsheets to block cameras so that the manhandling of Wangchuk would not be recorded. “Shamelessness at Jantar Mantar Goons of Modi Govt Delhi Police dressed up in civil dress and sports shoes forcefully entering the protest site. They brought dozens of white bed-sheets to block camera views so that any violence/man-handling with Sonam Wangchuk & others is not video recorded,” he wrote.
The Aam Aadmi Party accused the government of resorting to force and thuggery. “Instead of choosing the path of dialogue to end the ongoing peaceful fast by Sonam Wangchuk ji against the paper leak, the government has resorted to force and thuggery,” the Arvind Kejriwal-led party wrote on its official X handle.
Anand Gawande of NCP (SP) said taking away Wangchuk from protest site is ‘to shut down a democratic protest.’
“If this government cared about protesters, they would not have let GD Agarwal die. If this government cared about protesters, they would have opened up a dialogue with the hundreds of people still sitting at Jantar Mantar,” he said and added that the CJP’s Parliament march on July 20 should go as per schedule.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan accused the Delhi Police taking the action against Wangchuk at the bhest of the government. “As expected, Delhi police undoubtedly under instructions from the govt, have gone in to the Jantar Mantar protest site, have forcibly picked up Sonam Wangchuk & are forcibly removing the protesters from there,” Bhushan wrote on X.
Dipke says police beat him up
As Wangchuk was taken away from Jantar Mantar, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said that he was beaten up and put under detention by the Delhi Police. “I have been beaten up and put under detention by Delhi Police,” Dipke wrote on X. In another post he alleged that the police was is cracking down at the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar and people were being beaten there.
Dipke later announced an indefinite hunger strike.
Meanwhile, Wangchuk’s wife had said no medical treatment should be administered to him without her consent. He should not have been taken to the hospital, Gitanjali J Angmo, his wife, said, she she is now at the Safdarjung hospital with him. She asked authorities to not give him any medication without consulting either her, his family or his doctors.
“I am at Safdarjung hospital in Delhi where [Sonam Wangchuk] has been admitted,” she wrote on X.
