Wangchuk’s wife seeks to shift activist from hospital; political parties berate government
NEW DELHI, July 18: Citing medical advice and Delhi High Court directions, police whisked away activist Sonam Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning on the 21st day of his hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar here, drawing sharp condemnation from opposition parties which accused the government of curbing dissent.
Ignoring police’s call to leave the protest site, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) escalated its agitation over the NEET paper leak issue with its founder Abhijeet Dipke announcing an indefinite hunger strike soon after the “crackdown”.
Hospital authorities issued a bulletin at 3.30 pm, saying Wangchuk, 59, has refused intravenous fluids, oral rehydration solution and other medications despite signs of dehydration and metabolic abnormalities.
He is being continuously monitored and counselled to accept treatment in the interest of his health, they said.
The CJP later said on X that Wangchuk has “not broken” his hunger strike and he will continue it from hospital.
‘Hospital refuses to share reports’
After climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital early on Saturday following health deterioration due to a hunger strike, his wife Gitanjali J. Angmo wrote to the hospital asking to complete discharge formalities at the earliest so that the agitator can be shifted to a medical centre of the family’s choice, citing “lack of transparency” in his treatment.
Earlier in the day, Wangchuk’s wife had written to the hospital not to undertake any treatment of the activist without her consent.
In a fresh letter, she accused the hospital of not sharing Wangchuk’s medical reports.
She alleged that the doctors who have been treating Wangchuk for the past 20 days were not being allowed to meet him.
‘All we saw were white sheets’
The first instinct was to hit record. But by the time protesters rushed towards the stage at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, all that remained visible was a wall of white bedsheets, behind which activist Sonam Wangchuk was whisked away, according to those at the site.
Between 7 am and 8 am on Saturday, protesters alleged that several Delhi Police personnel, some in plain clothes, entered the Jantar Mantar protest site and approached activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for the last 20 days.
As paramilitary forces formed an outer ring, some officers surrounded his mattress, others held large white bedsheets to block the crowd’s view before lifting Wangchuk and carrying him to a waiting ambulance.
“It happened so fast that nobody could understand what was going on,” said 22-year-old Talha, who had arrived from Patna the previous night after following the protest for days. He added that watching the activist being carried away left many protesters shaken.
Congress, others slam Wangchuk’s ‘removal’
The Congress on Saturday attacked the government over the “removal” of activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest, with Rahul Gandhi saying the core tenets of the Narendra Modi dispensation are “asatya and hinsa (falsehood and violence)”. Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Saturday accused the Central government of avoiding dialogue and suppressing dissent after being on the back foot over rising public anger on issues related to the education system. While the BJP on Saturday justified the hospitalisation of activist Sonam Wangchuk on the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar here, saying it was done in compliance with a Delhi High Court direction that his health be monitored.
Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee, on Saturday expressed her deep concern about climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk’s health after he was shifted to the hospital .
Opposition Congress and NCP (SP) in Maharashtra on Saturday criticised the shifting of activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital by Delhi Police, saying the action amounted to suppression of democratic dissent and showed the government’s “authoritarian mindset”.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to why he did not initiate a dialogue with those protesting against paper leaks, and urged people to come out on the streets to protest peacefully and fight this “new battle for freedom”. Activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said the Union government should hold talks with educationist Sonam Wangchuk.
“The government should not test his limits. Say yes or no (to his demands) but what is wrong in holding discussions,” Hazare said.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and other opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders on Saturday criticised the Centre over its “irresponsible” and “shameful” handling of activist Sonam Wangchuk’s agitation, saying the action amounted to suppression of democratic dissent.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday condemned the Union government for removing activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site, where the latter was on a hunger strike for the past 21 days.
Woman hurls ink-like liquid at Dipke
Jantar Mantar witnessed fresh drama on Saturday afternoon after a woman hurled an ink-like liquid at CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke while he was addressing a gathering, hours after the protest site saw a police operation to shift activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital.
The woman’s identity and the motive behind the act were not immediately known. However, police sources said that she has been detained.
‘CJP hasn’t sought nod for Parliament march’
The CJP has not yet sought any permission from the Delhi Police for the Parliament march, scheduled for July 20, sources said on Saturday.
They further stated that it is unlikely that the CJP will be granted permission for the march, given that it is on the same day as the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. (Agencies)
