Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), launched an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation after activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken to hospital by Delhi Police, alleging he had been removed from the protest site against his will.
Dipke assumed leadership of the protest at Jantar Mantar hours after Wangchuk was shifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital following concerns over his health after a prolonged hunger strike.
“The protest will not end,” Dipke told supporters, alleging that police had “forcibly” removed Wangchuk from the protest site without the consent of him or his family. He urged people across the country to hold peaceful demonstrations and said organisers would press ahead with a planned “Chalo Sansad” march to Parliament on July 20.
Until Saturday, the protest had been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Dipke said the demands had now escalated to include Modi’s resignation following the police action.
Dipke alleged that Delhi Police dragged Wangchuk away while he was on the 20th day of his hunger strike and said he was assaulted and briefly detained when he attempted to intervene. Reuters could not independently verify the allegations.
Delhi Police said Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in compliance with a Delhi High Court order and on the advice of medical experts after his health deteriorated.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma said some protesters attempted to obstruct the transfer, leading to a “slight commotion”, but police exercised “maximum restraint” while carrying out the operation.
Safdarjung Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. Charu Bamba said Wangchuk was admitted at around 7:40 a.m. and was suffering from weakness and mild dehydration due to prolonged fasting, but remained fully conscious and medically stable.
“He is somewhat weak due to prolonged fasting and is experiencing mild dehydration; otherwise, all his vital parameters are stable,” Bamba said, adding that doctors were monitoring him and treating electrolyte imbalances.
Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, said on social media that no treatment should be administered orally or intravenously without the consent of his family and doctors who had been monitoring his health.
Three student activists associated with the protest have remained on hunger strike alongside Wangchuk since the fast began, according to organisers, who said they had experienced significant weight loss.
Police maintained a heavy security presence around Jantar Mantar, deploying personnel and barricades to regulate the movement of protesters and prevent any disruption.
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