Sonam Wangchuk hospitalised: Delhi police action ‘black stain on democracy’, says Congress

The Congress on 18 July launched a scathing attack on the Centre after Delhi Police shifted climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to a government hospital following a deterioration in his health during his 21-day indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government had consistently targeted those who raised their voices against it and described the police action as “yet another black stain on democracy and the Constitution.”

“Whether it’s Prof. G.D. Agrawal, who sat on a fast unto death for 111 days to save Mother Ganga, or the Olympic wrestler from Haryana, whether it’s our 750 farmer providers, Dalits and Adivasis, or the 25 children sacrificed to the paper leak and their families, this tyrannical government has spared no one,” Kharge said in a post on X.

In October 2018, renowned activist GD Agarwal, who was on an indefinite fast since 22 June to urge the government to clean the Ganga river, died at the AIIMS hospital in Rishikesh. Agarwal, 87 died of a heart attack after 111-day long fast.

The environmentalist and a former IIT professor was on a fast, demanding that steps be taken to protect the river and maintain its uninterrupted flow between Gangotri and Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand.

Chaotic scenes unfolded at Jantar Mantar early Saturday morning after Delhi Police shifted Sonam Wangchuk triggering protests from supporters who tried to stop the move.

Kharge further alleged that the government labels every dissenter as “anti-national” or a “parasite.” “What happened at Jantar Mantar today is yet another black stain on democracy and the Constitution. The clarion call of ‘Students’ Echo’ has begun from Kota and Dehradun… it will surely reach the thresholds of Delhi,” Kharge said.

Political obedience takes precedence: Khera

Earlier, Congress’ media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said the Constitution guarantees the right to dissent, but the home ministry appears determined to deny it.

“The Delhi Police reports directly to the home ministry, the very ministry that appointed a new police commissioner in Delhi just yesterday. If today’s crackdown is his first brief, it sends a chilling message: political obedience takes precedence over Constitutional duty,” Khera said.

From dragging away women wrestlers to manhandling ex-servicemen, this government has repeatedly demonstrated its contempt for the Constitution, he alleged.

“Today’s actions lay bare this government’s mindset: peaceful protest is not a fundamental democratic right to be protected, but a law-and-order problem to be crushed,” Khera said.

“It is a shame that the world’s largest democracy is being ‘ruled’ by the most undemocratic and anti-democratic political party in the world,” he said.

What Delhi police said?

Police said the action came owing to Wangchuk’s deteriorating health and court orders. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma told PTI that Wangchuk was hospitalised in accordance with the Delhi High Court’s directions after his health worsened and is receiving the required medical intervention.

In a statement, Delhi Police said Wangchuk was shifted for “essential medical care” following expert medical advice and in compliance with the high court’s orders.

Some protesters tried to obstruct the exercise, leading to a brief commotion, but police personnel exercised maximum restraint and completed the operation successfully, it added.

The police also appealed to the protesters to end their agitation, saying they should peacefully vacate the protest site at the earliest.

Soon after the police action, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke alleged that the protesters were subjected to a police crackdown.

“I have been beaten up and put under detention by Delhi Police,” Dipke said in a post on X.

In a post on X, CJP shared a video of Wangchuk being removed from the protest site in a white sheet.

“A frail old man, after 20 days of a hunger strike, was picked up, wrapped in white sheets and taken away by Delhi Police. This is a national shame,” the CJP said.

Wangchuk and the three activists from AISA have been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in support of the CJP-led protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and the reported deaths of students linked to the controversy.

Their health had shown a steady decline over the past three weeks.

The Congress party, which had by and large stayed at a distance from the CJP protest, however, officially extended its solidarity with Wangchuk, who, alongside student groups, have been protesting to demand comprehensive reforms in the examination system and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Following directions from Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi — who recalled a 1984 intervention where former PM Indira Gandhi persuaded Wangchuk’s father to end a hunger strike — senior leaders like Pawan Khera and KC Venugopal visited the protest site, according to media reports. The Congress has urged Wangchuk to call off his fast due to deteriorating health and pledged to continue mounting pressure in Parliament for the Minister’s resignation.