New Delhi, July 18 (HS): Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday after completing 21 days of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, following directions of the u Delhi High Court and medical advice citing deterioration in his health. The development was followed by Delhi Police clearing the protest site ahead of a proposed march to Parliament on July 20, triggering allegations by protesters and criticism from Opposition parties.

Delhi Police said Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital in compliance with the Delhi High Court's order directing authorities to monitor his health daily and provide medical intervention as recommended by government doctors. The court had observed that the life of every citizen is precious.

According to Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuk is weak due to prolonged fasting and dehydration but remains stable. The hospital said he is under continuous observation, monitoring and treatment to restore his body parameters.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said police acted strictly in accordance with the High Court's directions and medical advice. He said some protesters attempted to obstruct the shifting of Wangchuk, leading to a brief commotion, and appealed to demonstrators to vacate the Jantar Mantar protest site peacefully.

Following Wangchuk's hospitalisation, police personnel removed protesters from Jantar Mantar. According to police, the action was taken to clear the site after the activist was admitted to hospital.

However, several protesters alleged that Wangchuk was taken away against his wishes. They claimed plainclothes police personnel entered the protest site posing as members of a medical team before shifting him to the hospital. Student protesters also alleged they formed a human chain to prevent the removal of fasting activists.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that he was assaulted and detained by police during the operation. On Saturday, he announced an indefinite hunger strike in support of Wangchuk and said the proposed Parliament march on July 20 would continue. Delhi Police has not responded to these allegations.

Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, questioned the decision to hospitalise the activist and said no medical treatment should be administered without her explicit consent. She claimed Wangchuk had been stable before being shifted and held the authorities responsible for his safety. She also asserted that the family's consent should be obtained before any medical intervention.

The hospitalisation sparked political reactions, with Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) president Sharad Pawar accusing the Centre of failing to address the protesters' concerns at an earlier stage. He alleged that the government remained a bystander instead of engaging with the demands raised by Wangchuk.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also criticised the police action. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that instead of addressing Wangchuk's demands, the authorities forcibly shifted him to hospital and used police action to suppress the agitation. Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj also questioned the manner in which the operation was carried out and appealed to students and youth to continue supporting the movement.

Wangchuk, an engineer, education reformer and climate activist from Ladakh, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in national entrance examinations, including the NEET paper leak. Before being hospitalised, Wangchuk and his supporters had announced a march to Parliament on July 20 to press for their demands.

Several Opposition leaders, including AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, had visited Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar on Friday to express solidarity and enquire about his health.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar