Sonam Wangchuk and Abhijeet Dipke (R)
NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday strongly condemned the removal of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from the ongoing protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET UG paper leak.Dipke accused the Delhi Police of forcibly taking Wangchuk away, alleging that they had “made a big mistake by kidnapping Sonam Wangchuk.”Wangchuk, who has emerged as the face of the protest, had been on an indefinite hunger strike for more than 20 days. According to doctors monitoring his condition, he has lost around 10 kg during the fast, raising concerns over his deteriorating health.Issuing a warning to the authorities, Dipke said, “You made a big mistake by kidnapping Sonam Wangchuk. You’ve caused Jantar Mantar to fill up. Now if you disrupt us here, all of Delhi will be filled with protesters.” Following Sonam Wangchuk’s removal from the protest site on Saturday morning, authorities shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital for medical monitoring.The move sparked sharp criticism from protesters and the Cockroach Janta Party, accusing the authorities of forcibly removing the activist from the protest.However, the Delhi high court on Sunday upheld the Centre’s decision to shift Sonam Wangchuk to hospital, observing that the government’s action was neither arbitrary nor unlawful and that it was well within its rights to do so.
