The activist was taken to hospital on the 21st day of his hunger strike as Delhi Police executed a carefully planned ’30-second’ operation involving a phone jammer and a white curtain
At 3 am Saturday—almost four hours before activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site by Delhi Police—all personnel of the New Delhi district police assembled at the spot for what they were told was a security drill in Parliament before the Monsoon Session, sources said. They were then taken to the Mandir Marg police station, where they were informed that Wangchuk would be removed from Jantar Mantar within “30 seconds.” Then, minutes before Wangchuk’s removal, the police installed a phone jammer in the area. Around 6.30 am, they quickly placed a white curtain across the stage and removed Wangchuk—before anyone could see what was going on behind the curtain, sources added.
Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike since June 28 as part of a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, demanding broader reforms to the examination system and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated examination paper leaks.
The Police Operation
Wangchuk’s removal from the site came a day after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in a sudden move, removed Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha and appointed Anurag Kumar in his place. Golchha’s early departure was allegedly linked to the handling of the Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar, The Indian Express has reported.
After taking charge, Kumar met with all the special commissioners of police-rank officers and began preparing a strategy to remove Wangchuk from the protest site. “Initially, the routine of all the Cockroach Janta Party members was discussed. They learnt of a small window of some minutes in the morning when Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke went out to a nearby restroom. They decided to pick Wangchuk exactly at that time,” a source said.
The ’30-Second’ Plan
On Friday, around 11 pm, a message was sent to all the station house officers (SHOs) of the New Delhi district that a security drill would be held on Saturday morning. The SHOs were asked to reach the Parliament Street police station by 3 am, along with 10 police personnel.
“All of them reached and they were taken to Mandir Marg police station where they were briefed by the DCP (New Delhi district) Sachin Sharma about their exact plan. They were informed that they were there to execute a plan to remove Wangchuk from the protest site. They were informed they would have to wait for Dipke’s movement and remove Wangchuk within 30 seconds. They parked one ambulance near Kerala House in Jantar Mantar,” a source said.
Around 6.30 am, when Dipke went out, police reached the stage, placed a white curtain and removed Wangchuk. “Within two minutes, he was picked up by four to five policemen and was taken in an ambulance to Safdarjung Hospital. The police then started removing all the protesters. At the same time, a police team stopped Dipke,” the source added.
Political Reactions
Several Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT), have extended support to Wangchuk, demanding that the Centre engage with him and sack Pradhan. The removal has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders and civil society members, who have questioned the timing and secrecy of the operation.
Wangchuk, who inspired the character of Phunsukh Wangdu in the film 3 Idiots, has been a prominent voice for educational reform in India. His hunger strike had drawn widespread attention, with many supporting his demands for a transparent and fair examination system.
