Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakh based engineer and activist, was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning. It was the 21st day of his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Delhi Police said the move followed a Delhi High Court order and advice from doctors monitoring his health.
The shift was not smooth. Protesters at the site tried to stop the police from taking Sonam Wangchuk away. Many formed a human chain around his stage. Scuffles broke out, and several supporters said they were hurt in the confusion. However, some observers in Ladakh have quietly asked why Wangchuk is spending his energy on a Delhi based education issue instead of pushing his home region’s older demands.
Why Was Sonam Wangchuk Taken To Hospital?
Delhi Police said the Delhi High Court had asked authorities to monitor Wangchuk’s condition daily and step in with medical help if needed. Officials said his vitals had weakened badly after three weeks without food. Doctors reportedly advised that further delay could be dangerous.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders saw it differently. Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that plain clothes police entered the protest site early in the morning. He wrote on social media, “Police dressed up in civil dress and sports shoes forcefully entering the protest site.” Protesters also said officers first claimed to be doctors before revealing the court order.
Was It A Medical Emergency Or A Forced Removal?
This question is now at the centre of the row. Delhi Police insists it acted only on court instructions and medical grounds. Opposition leaders, including Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia, called it an attempt to silence the protest before it grew louder. One protester at the scene said the police did not wait for his medical team to finish checking him first. There is no independent confirmation yet of exactly what triggered the sudden decision on Saturday. Both versions, the health emergency and the political timing, are being widely discussed online and in Parliament corridors.
Can Doctors Treat Him Without His Wife’s Consent?
Soon after Sonam Wangchuk reached the hospital, his wife Gitanjali J Angmo raised a strong objection. Speaking to reporters, she said, “I forbid them from administering anything without my consent.” She also questioned why he was moved at all, since he had appeared stable a day earlier. This has opened up a genuine legal question. Indian courts have in the past weighed in on force feeding and medical intervention during hunger strikes, most notably in cases involving prolonged fasts in other parts of the country.
Is A 21 Day Fast Dangerous At Age 59?
Doctors generally agree that fasting beyond two weeks puts serious strain on the heart, kidneys and muscles. Wangchuk is 59 years old, which adds extra risk. Reports earlier this week said he had already lost close to 8.5 kilograms and was too weak to speak at length.
Who Are The Cockroach Janta Party?
Sonam Wangchuk began this fast on June 28 in support of the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth movement founded by 30 year old Abhijeet Dipke. The group picked up over 20 million Instagram followers within days of launching in May this year. It describes itself as speaking for young Indians frustrated with unemployment and broken systems.
The immediate trigger was a paper leak that disrupted a major medical entrance exam, affecting roughly 2.3 million candidates. The group has been demanding that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down over the lapse. So far, neither the minister nor his ministry has issued a detailed public response.
What Is The Chalo Sansad March?
The Cockroach Janta Party has planned a march to Parliament, called Chalo Sansad, on July 20. Wangchuk’s hospitalisation comes just two days before that date, and many are asking whether the timing is a coincidence. Dipke said before the hospital shift, “Sonam sir is asking us to keep preparing for the march to parliament on 20th July.” Whether the march goes ahead as planned now depends largely on Wangchuk’s health and on how Saturday’s chaos is read by both sides in the coming days.
Sonam Wangchuk: Earlier Protests And The Foreign Funding Question
This is not Sonam Wangchuk’s first long fast. He led a 21 day hunger strike in Leh in 2024 demanding statehood for Ladakh. He followed it with a 35 day fast in 2025, pushing for the same region to get protection under the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule. Both protests ended without a clear resolution from the Centre, and the statehood demand remains pending.
During the 2025 stir, things got more complicated. The government cancelled the FCRA registration of SECMOL, an educational body Wangchuk runs. Around the same time, the CBI opened a preliminary inquiry into his institute HIAL over foreign funds received between 2022 and 2024. No FIR has been filed so far. Wangchuk has said the money in question came from paid consulting work with the United Nations and European institutions, not donations, and that it was properly taxed.
So does Sonam Wangchuk actually fund his protests with foreign money, as some social media posts now claim?
Based on what has been reported so far, there is no public evidence for that specific claim. The CBI probe concerns his educational institutions and their FCRA compliance, not the financing of his hunger strikes or marches. Wangchuk himself disputes the allegations and calls the scrutiny selective. Until an FIR is filed or a probe concludes, this remains an open investigation and a political talking point, not a proven fact, and readers should treat it as an allegation rather than an established finding.
Aamir Khan’s Remark on Sonam Wangchuk
Actor Aamir Khan also found himself in the middle of this story this week. He clarified that his character in 3 Idiots was not based on Sonam Wangchuk, calling the long held belief a misconception. He added, “All of us are very concerned for his health and his life.”
The comment drew sharp criticism online and from some Congress leaders, who felt Khan sounded hesitant to fully back an activist currently risking his life for students. Others said the actor was simply answering a factual question about the film and still expressed genuine concern for Wangchuk’s wellbeing. The exchange shows how even unrelated celebrity remarks are getting pulled into the larger debate around this protest.
What Happens Next?
Sonam Wangchuk remains under observation at Safdarjung Hospital as of Saturday evening. His condition is being described as weak but stable. The consent dispute raised by his wife could still move to the Delhi High Court for a formal hearing.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are expected to keep raising the issue in Parliament, and the Cockroach Janta Party has not called off its July 20 march. The coming days will show whether Sonam Wangchuk’s health improves enough for him to take part, and whether the government responds to the demand for the education minister’s resignation.