Sonam Wangchuk: Indian activist on hunger strike for 20 days forcibly taken to hospital
Indian activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike for the last 20 days in Delhi, was forcibly removed from the protest area.
The 59-year-old man was protesting in support of the online satirical movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which wants education reforms. Protesters had planned to march on the Indian parliament on Monday.
Wangchuk was on a hunger strike during the scorching summer months, consuming nothing but salt and water. He had lost more than 30 pounds and was in a lot of pain.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has now started fasting indefinitely instead. He told Parliament that the march would continue and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign.
Dipke told the BBC that he went to a friend’s house in the morning to freshen up, but the police came and refused to let him go.
Videos from the protest site on Saturday showed chaos breaking out just before 07:30 local time (02:00 GMT) as dozens of police and paramilitary personnel stormed the stage where the activist lay. Protesters who tried to stop them were removed.
They covered him with sheet curtains before taking him off the stage. Minutes later, an ambulance was seen speeding away.
The activist’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, later shared that X was “at Safdarjung hospital where he was admitted.”
“Nothing should be given to him orally or intravenously.[ly] “Without permission from me, his family and the doctors who have been monitoring his health for 20 days,” he said. wrote, external.
Safdarjung Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Charu Bamba later told news agency ANI that Wangchuk was “fully alert and stable”.
“He is a little weak and slightly dehydrated due to long-term fasting, but other than that, all his vital parameters are stable. He is under constant examination and monitoring and his treatment continues,” he said.
Wangchuk was moved “lawfully”, a senior police official told reporters. [a court] is based on order and sanitary conditions and medical advice”.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma said, “Sonam Wangchuk has been shifted to a government hospital for much-needed medical attention and is currently under medical observation.”
He was referring to the Delhi High Court’s order on Thursday asking the federal government to regularly monitor Wangchuk’s health and provide necessary treatment if necessary.
Wangchuk refused to end his indefinite hunger strike despite increasing calls against him. Despite his poor health, he insisted on attending Monday’s parliamentary march.
“I have become weak on the outside, but I am strong on the inside,” Wangchuk told a crowd gathered at Jantar Mantar, a 300-year-old observatory that was the site of the protest a few days ago. His statement was met with cheers and applause.
