Sonam Wangchuk calls for ‘second freedom movement’

Delhi Police forcibly moved Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk to hospital on the 21st day his hunger strike. Authorities said there had been a “much-needed medical intervention,” but the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party says he was “kidnapped.”

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW’s New Delhi Studio welcoming you back to our coverage of the top stories in India.

On this cloudy Sunday morning we are following the updates from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling his silence over the theft of donations from the Ayodhya temple as “unacceptable.”

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Political leaders across the spectrum spoke in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday after Delhi Police forcibly transferred him to a hospital on the 21st of his hunger strike demanding accountability from the government.

• Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said it was “wrong” to remove Wangchuk while he on a non-violent hunger strike.  Gandhi also highlighted paper leaks, the rising cost of education, and student suicides in a post on X, the issues Wangchuk is on hunger strike against.

Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge called Wangchuk’s removal “yet another black stain on democracy and the Constitution.”

Trinamool Congress (TMC) party head Mamata Banerjee posted on X saying public trust can’t be earned by “suppressing peaceful protests or refusing dialogue.”

TMC parliamentarian Mahua Moitra said Wangchuk’s removal ahead of the July 20 march to Parliament and changing of the Delhi police chief highlighted the government’s fear. “Education minister must go!” she said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Anish Gawande said, “His own wife is not allowed to meet him at Safdarjung Hospital without a phone. No warrant has been produced for his arrest. This is illegal detention, plain and simple.”

Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal posted a video on social media calling people to “unite and take to the streets.” “Only then will something change in this country,” he said.

Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi called the incident “Shocking and shameful!”

Member of Parliament and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad posted on X saying, “Democracy is once again disgraced!”

Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Union Home Minister Amit Shah have released a statement on the incident.

Here is a collection of photos from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday:

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DW spoke to three people who said they began an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday.

Two of them, who had travelled from Rajasthan, said they started fasting Saturday morning in protest over activist Sonam Wangchuk being taken to the hospital.

Bharat Bhushan, who identified himself as a student, said he had recently joined the protest.

Tezveer, who was seated surrounded by posters, said he had witnessed police taking Wangchuk away. “The police took him away brutally,” he said.

The third protester, Yash Mishra, said he had been on a hunger strike from the first day of the protest but stopped after falling ill. He returned on 16 July and resumed the hunger strike for one day. From Saturday on, he said, he would continue his hunger strike “until death.”

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced on Saturday that activist Sonam Wangchuk will continue his hunger strike from the hospital.

Wangchuk, who began the 21st day of his hunger strike in the national capital on Saturday, was picked up by police and transferred to a hospital from the protest site.

In a post on X, CJP said that Wangchuk “will continue his fight from the hospital.”

CJP asked people to pray for the 59-year-old activist.

A woman threw what appeared to be ink at Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday as he was addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, DW correspondent Shalu Yadav said.

Yadav said Dipke was speaking about activist Sonam Wangchuk’s decision to continue his hunger strike from the hospital when the incident occurred.

“As soon as he finished talking, we heard commotion around him,” Yadav said, as the incident briefly disrupted the event.

According to Yadav, Dipke called for the Delhi Police, who arrived within minutes and escorted the woman away.

Later, Dipke called the incident “a mark of pride” for him, adding that he would not back down or be demotivated by such attacks, Yadav said.

A witness told DW the woman was chanting “Jai Shri Ram” (“Glory to Lord Ram”).The slogan is widely used in religious contexts and has also been co-opted by India’s rightwing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist government.

There are no details known about the identity of the woman.

Gitanjali Angmo, activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, on Saturday accused authorities of shifting him to a hospital without informing either him or his family after police moved the hunger striker from New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site.

Wangchuk was taken to Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his hunger strike after police said the move was as per orders of the Delhi High Court and based on expert medical advice due to his deteriorating health.

Angmo questioned the authorities’ explanation, saying doctors from Safdarjung Hospital had examined Wangchuk at the protest site on Friday evening and found his vital signs to be normal.

“They’re now telling us his potassium has dropped and it’s life-threatening. But when we asked to see the report, they are not giving it to us,” she told reporters outside the hospital.

She said the planned protest march to parliament on Monday would go ahead even if Wangchuk was unable to participate.

“Even if Sonam can’t join the march, I will represent him and lead that march, and it will happen on Monday as planned,” Angmo said.

Delhi Police on Saturday said that Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to a hospital from his protest site on orders of the court and on medical grounds.

“As per orders of Hon’ble High Court and on expert medical advise due to the deteriorating health condition of Sh. Sonam Wangchuk, he has been shifted to the hospital for essential medical care,” the Delhi Police posted on X.

While the CJP said Wangchuk’s health had been deteriorating, the police statement appeared to differ from the Delhi High Court’s order on Thursday, which directed authorities to monitor his health daily amid concerns about his condition.

Furthermore, the police also alleged that protesters on site “tried to create obstruction, in which slight commotion ensued,” while saying that authorities exercized “maximum restrain and undertook the exercise safely.”

Police told protesters camping at the historical Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to vacate the grounds.

Incidentally, Delhi Police — which falls under the purview of Union Home Minister Amit Shah — got a new chief on Friday: Anurag Kumar.

Four people continued their hunger strike for the 21st day on Saturday after activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to a hospital, with their protest moving to the main stage at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, DW correspondent Syamantak Ghosh reported.

The four — Neha, Manish, Aameen and Hamad — had begun their hunger strike with Wangchuck on June 28.

According to Ghosh, hundreds of protesters have gathered at the protest site, with participants arriving from several states.

Members of various organizations marched through the venue, beating drums and chanting slogans, while activists addressed the crowd and spoke to the media, the DW correspondent said.

Neha, Manish and Aameen are members of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and PhD scholars at different universities.

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Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Saturday that the protest movement will now demand the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after announcing the start of his indefinite hunger strike.

Dipke’s announcement came soon after activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken to a hospital by the Delhi Police on the 21st day of the activist’s hunger strike.

The CJP alleged that police had “forcefully” taken Wangchuk away.

“If they think that taking Sonam Sir away will end this movement, they are mistaken. We will remain here, and will march to Parliament on July 20,” Dipke said in a video addressing the media.

“Until now, we were demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, but after this despicable act, we will now demand the resignation of Narendra Modi,” he said.

“Abhijeet Dipke sits on an indefinite hunger strike,” the CJP posted on X, adding that the planned march to the Indian parliament on Monday would continue as planned.

Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to a hospital by Delhi Police on Saturday, the 21st day of his hunger strike in New Delhi, ahead of a planned march to Parliament on July 20.

The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) alleged that police had “forcefully” taken Wangchuk away.

The New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police said in a post on X that the move was as per orders of the court and on expert medical advice “due to the deteriorating health condition” of Wangchuk, adding that it was to ensure “essential medical care.”

Wangchuk, 59, has been fasting since June 28 in solidarity with students protesting an entrance exam scandal and demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said authorities prevented him from reaching the protest site on Saturday. A day earlier, Dipke said Wangchuk had lost about 8.7 kilograms (19.1 pounds) and appeared visibly weak, having suffered significant muscle loss.

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW’s New Delhi Studio, bringing you the latest news from across India.

Early on Saturday, Delhi Police personnel removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from his protest site to a hospital. Wangchuk was on his 21st day of a hunger strike in New Delhi, along with supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged exam irregularities.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said authorities prevented him from reaching the protest site. In a post on X, Dipke alleged that Delhi Police was “cracking down at Jantar Mantar”, “beating up people” and “taking away Sonam sir forcefully.”

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