The 21-day indefinite hunger strike by prominent educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk took a critical turn on Saturday. With his health deteriorating, police moved him to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, acting on directions from the Delhi High Court and medical advice. Responding to the development, Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, said clearly that no treatment or medication should be administered to him without her consent or without consultation with family members and his personal physicians.
Meanwhile, Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Deepke intensified the protest following Wangchuk’s hospitalization. After being released from police detention, Deepke addressed protesters at Jantar Mantar, declaring that the demonstration would not end with this development. In protest against what he described as Wangchuk being forcibly taken away, Deepke announced that the movement would now demand not only the resignation of the Union Education Minister but also the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Deepke went further, launching his own indefinite hunger strike on the spot. He announced that a march to Parliament would be held on July 20, asserting that the protest would continue undeterred.
Against this backdrop of escalating developments, the situation at Jantar Mantar has grown increasingly tense, with protesters vowing to press ahead despite Wangchuk’s hospitalization and the intervention of authorities.