NEW DELHI — Police forcibly transferred a prominent activist to a hospital in New Delhi on Saturday after his health deteriorated during a 20-day hunger strike tied to India’s Cockroach Janata Party movement for education reform.
Authorities tightened security around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, a designated public protest ground enclosed by police barricades, where activist Sonam Wangchuk has been camped along with students and Cockroach party activists who demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, after allegations that exam papers were leaked in advance.
The movement also seeks sweeping reforms to the examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide over the leaks or exam results.
The hunger strike by Wangchuk, a 59-year-old engineer and education reformer, has become a rallying point for the party, which formed in May, its name inspired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant’s remark comparing some unemployed young people to “cockroaches.” Supporters embraced the insult as a badge of resistance, turning it into a satirical political campaign that amassed more than 21 million Instagram followers in a few days.
Delhi police said that Wangchuk was taken to the hospital after his health worsened during the hunger strike and that a brief commotion occurred when some protesters tried to block the move.
Sachin Sharma, a deputy commissioner of police, said Wangchuk’s hospitalization was carried out following medical advice and a court directive.
“Mr. Sonam Wangchuk has been taken from here to an appropriate government hospital, a much-needed medical intervention, under medical supervision,” Sharma said.
The Cockroach Janata Party — a play on the name of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party — said in a social media post that the government “forcefully abducted” Wangchuk “without his or his family’s consent” two days before their planned march to India’s Parliament.
Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janata Party, disputed the police account, saying the court had not ordered Wangchuk’s forcible removal. He questioned the medical grounds for the move, noting that no doctor had examined him shortly before he was taken away, and he alleged that authorities were trying to curb a protest movement that had been gaining momentum.
Shortly after the incident, Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student and founder of the Cockroach party, announced he would begin a hunger strike and called for nationwide protests.
Dipke told the Associated Press at the protest ground that police used force while removing Wangchuk and alleged that he was “kidnapped by the police like criminals and goons” after “covering him in sheets.”
The party founder reaffirmed the movement’s plan to march to India’s Parliament, scheduled for Monday, when its session begins.
“The resolve and the movement will only get stronger from here,” Dipke said.
Meanwhile, Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, wrote in a letter to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital that “lack of transparency has shaken their trust,” and she asked that her husband be shifted to a medical center of their choice. She said nothing should be given to Wangchuk orally or intravenously without her consent.
Authorities deployed additional police and paramilitary soldiers and erected barricades around Jantar Mantar. Police said the heightened security measures were precautionary and urged protesters to cooperate with authorities.
Hussain and Ganguly write for the Associated Press.
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