Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday expressed serious concern over the health and safety of social activist Sonam Wangchuk, hours after Delhi Police removed him from the Jantar Mantar protest site and admitted him to the government hospital following his 20-day hunger strike.
Wangchuk - who has been on a fast for the past 20 days - was forcefully picked up by Delhi police on Saturday mornings and taken to the Centre-run Safdarjung hospital. Banerjee urged that he be shifted to a private hospital, saying citizens were willing to bear the cost of his treatment if necessary - exuding distrust towards the intentions of the Modi government.
Expressing concern over Wangchuk's condition, Banerjee said she was "deeply concerned" about his health and well-being and accused the government of refusing to engage with a peaceful democratic protest.
"He asked only for dialogue, yet his appeal has been met with silence for weeks. In a democracy, peaceful dissent deserves engagement, not silence," she wrote on X.
She also said Wangchuk's voice had been ignored "just as the voices of countless young Indians continue to be ignored."
Making a direct appeal, Banerjee wrote, "He should be allowed to be shifted to a private hospital, with citizens free to bear the cost if needed." She added that "public trust is earned through transparency, accountability, and respect for democratic rights - not by suppressing peaceful protests or refusing dialogue."
"A government that treats dissent as a threat instead of a democratic obligation cannot demand trust while evading accountability”, she added.
In unprecedented turn of events Delhi Police personnel, many in plain clothes, used white bed sheets to shield the operation from public view before shifting him to Safdarjung Hospital. Wangchuk had joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest demanding greater accountability and reforms in India's education system. The agitation has also raised concerns over the conduct of national competitive examinations and sought accountability from the Union government.
Following his admission to Safdarjung Hospital, Wangchuk's wife urged authorities not to administer any medication or treatment without her consent or without consulting his treating doctors.
While the Centre and Delhi Police have maintained that Wangchuk was shifted because of concerns over his deteriorating health after nearly three weeks of fasting, Banerjee's intervention has added a political dimension to the episode. By calling for his transfer to a private hospital despite his admission to a premier Central government medical institution, she has openly questioned the government's handling of both his health, his peaceful protest and the level of trust institutions operating under the BJP-led Union government enjoy. CJP supporters have criticised the manner in which he was removed from the protest site, alleging that the authorities acted without transparency.
