Sonam Wangchuk moved to hospital after hunger strike

Indian police have moved Sonam Wangchuk, a 59-year-old education activist on a multiweek hunger strike in New Delhi, to a government hospital for medical care under court orders. Authorities cite worsening health after he consumed only salt and water for roughly three weeks while backing youth protests over exam paper leaks.

Key Takeaways

• Delhi police removed Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar on Saturday and took him to a government hospital for medical supervision.
• Police said the move followed a Delhi High Court order and medical advice after his condition worsened on about day 20–21 of the fast.
• Wangchuk had been fasting since June 28 on salt and water, losing more than 9 kg while supporting the Cockroach Janta Party.
• The protesters demand Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over May exam paper leaks that disrupted a key medical entrance test.

What happened to Sonam Wangchuk this morning?

Videos from the protest site showed chaos just before 07:30 local time (02:00 GMT) on Saturday, when dozens of police and paramilitary personnel moved in on the stage where Wangchuk was lying down. Protesters who tried to stop them were pushed aside. Officers covered him with bedsheets before an ambulance sped away.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma told reporters that Wangchuk was moved "in compliance with [a court] order, and based on health conditions and medical advice." Sharma said he was taken to a government hospital for "much-needed medical intervention" and remains under medical supervision. Reuters reported police said he was shifted "for essential medical care" after his health worsened on the 21st day of the strike.

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, who had stayed with Wangchuk through the protest, told the BBC he was not told where the activist was taken. Dipke said he had gone to a friend's house that morning to freshen up when police arrived and refused to let him leave.

Why was Sonam Wangchuk on a hunger strike?

Wangchuk launched an indefinite hunger strike on June 28 at Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory in New Delhi, in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The satirical youth movement grew after India canceled a nationwide medical college entrance exam in May because test questions were leaked, sparking outrage among students.

According to the BBC and The New York Times, CJP protesters want Pradhan to resign and take moral responsibility for paper leaks and other exam irregularities. They also seek broader educational reforms. Wangchuk, long known for education advocacy, said the Gen Z campaign echoed a fight he began decades ago. "Victims never raise their own voice," he told the Times. "This time, for a change, young people were doing that. How could I not support them?"

Despite frail health and growing calls to stop, he insisted he would join a planned Monday march to parliament. "I've grown weak from the outside but I'm strong from within," he told supporters days earlier, joking that if he died before the march, his "ghost would join" it. It is unclear whether CJP will still attempt the march; the BBC said he is unlikely to take part.

How does prolonged fasting raise health stakes?

Prolonged calorie deprivation sits at the extreme edge of debates covered in our Longevity & Biohacking coverage: when fasting shifts from practice to medical emergency. Wangchuk had been living on salt and water in scorching summer heat, lost more than 9 kg, and was in significant pain, the BBC reported.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court directed the federal government to monitor his health regularly and provide necessary treatment if needed, after a petition seeking intervention as his condition weakened. Reuters noted the petition had asked authorities to force-feed him. Wangchuk had refused to end the strike. Pradhan has dismissed CJP supporters as "the B-team of disruptive elements," and the Modi government has not engaged the protesters, though former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Wangchuk on Thursday and urged officials to listen.

For the core timeline and official statements, see the BBC report and Reuters' Saturday dispatch on the hospital transfer.