Indian Police Force-Hospitalize Hunger-Striking Cockroach Party Activist Sonam Wangchuk

Indian authorities on Saturday forcibly relocated environmentalist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital in New Delhi, citing deteriorating health after 20 days of fasting. The 59-year-old engineer had been camped at Jantar Mantar, a designated public protest ground in the capital, alongside students and supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party.

Police tightened security around the site, erecting barricades and deploying additional officers and paramilitary personnel. Officials described the heightened measures as precautionary and urged protesters to cooperate with authorities.

Sachin Sharma, a deputy commissioner of police, said Wangchuk's transfer to hospital was carried out under medical supervision and followed both medical advice and a court directive. A brief commotion erupted when some demonstrators attempted to prevent the move, according to police.

Cockroach Party Denounces Transfer as Forced Removal

The Cockroach Party strongly contested the official account. In a social media post, the movement accused the government of forcefully abducting Wangchuk without his or his family's consent. The transfer came just two days before the party's planned march to India's Parliament, scheduled for Monday when the legislative session begins.

Saurav Das, the party's chief spokesperson, disputed that the court had ordered Wangchuk's forcible removal. He questioned the medical justification, noting that no physician had examined the activist shortly before he was taken away. Das alleged that authorities were attempting to suppress a protest movement that had been gaining momentum.

Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student who founded the Cockroach Party, told The Associated Press that police used force during the removal and claimed Wangchuk was taken away like a criminal after being covered in sheets. Dipke announced he would begin his own hunger strike and called for nationwide protests, reaffirming the movement's plan to march on Parliament.

Dipke stated that the resolve and the movement would only grow stronger from that point forward.

Origins of a Satirical Political Movement

The Cockroach Janata Party emerged in May after Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly compared some unemployed young people to cockroaches during a hearing on an unrelated matter. Supporters adopted the term as a symbol of resilience, transforming an insult into a satirical political campaign that attracted more than 21 million Instagram followers within days.

Wangchuk's hunger strike became a focal point for the movement, which is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following allegations that examination papers were leaked in advance. The party is also calling for comprehensive reforms to the examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide in connection with the leaks or their exam results.

Family Raises Concerns Over Transparency

Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, addressed a letter to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital expressing deep concern about the circumstances of her husband's hospitalisation. She wrote that a lack of transparency had shaken their trust in the process and requested that he be transferred to a medical facility of the family's choosing.

Angmo further stipulated that nothing should be administered to Wangchuk orally or intravenously without her explicit consent. Her appeal underscored the tensions between the protest movement and Indian authorities as the standoff over education reforms continues.

The confrontation at Jantar Mantar highlights the growing visibility of a movement born from satire but now focused on serious demands for accountability in India's education system. As the Cockroach Party prepares for its planned march to Parliament, the situation remains tense with security forces maintaining a heavy presence around the protest site.

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Source: France 24 – English