NEW DELHI: Eyewitnesses at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday recalled the moments climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken away from the protest site, saying the operation unfolded within minutes and that all they could see were white bedsheets shielding the police action from public view.The accounts came after Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, was removed from Jantar Mantar and shifted to VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital. Delhi Police said he was taken to hospital following medical advice and in compliance with directions of the Delhi high court, citing concerns over his deteriorating health.According to eyewitnesses, between 7 am and 8 am, several police personnel, some in plain clothes, entered the protest site. As paramilitary personnel formed an outer security cordon, officers surrounded Wangchuk’s mattress while others held up large white bedsheets to block the crowd’s view before lifting him and carrying him to a waiting ambulance.“The first instinct was to hit record. But by the time protesters rushed towards the stage, all that remained visible was a wall of white bedsheets,” several witnesses told PTI.Twenty-two-year-old Talha, who had travelled from Patna after following the protest for several days, said the entire operation happened within moments.“It happened so fast that nobody could understand what was going on. People started running towards the stage. Everyone was trying to stop the police and make videos, but all we could see were the white sheets. Before we could get there, they had already taken him away,” he told PTI.Talha said the sight of Wangchuk being carried away deeply affected many protesters.“I was standing near the stage when they took him away. It was disheartening to watch a 60-year-old educator being carried off like he was being kidnapped. We came here to support Sonam Wangchuk, and this won’t break our spirit. People are scared now, but we will continue protesting,” he said.Several protesters alleged that the police had been closely monitoring the protest site for days and chose a time when fewer volunteers were near Wangchuk.“They knew when to come,” alleged Tejveer, who said he had been at the protest site almost since the agitation began and later announced his own hunger strike after Wangchuk was taken away.Protesters claimed the entire operation lasted only five to 10 minutes. As Wangchuk was taken to the ambulance, people rushed towards the stage, with some alleging there was pushing and jostling as police cleared a path. A few protesters also claimed that some volunteers sustained minor injuries during the commotion.Police, however, said Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on expert medical advice and in accordance with the Delhi high court’s directions. They said some protesters attempted to obstruct the operation but officers exercised ‘maximum restraint’ while carrying it out.Even as Wangchuk was being taken away, protesters alleged another group of police personnel moved towards a nearby protest camp where three students: Neha, Aameen and Manish have also been on an indefinite hunger strike.Neha said supporters quickly formed a human chain around the students.“They came towards our tent too,” she said, adding that by then people had gathered around them.Throughout the day, Jantar Mantar remained under heavy security, with multiple layers of police deployment and metal barricades restricting access to the protest site.Despite Wangchuk’s removal, the protest continued. His mattress remained on the stage, with volunteers placing a framed black-and-white photograph of the activist behind it.Several protesters also alleged that electricity at the site was cut after the police action, leaving table fans without power in the July heat. They further claimed mobile phone networks stopped working for nearly an hour before gradually returning.Among those who travelled to join the protest was Sandeep from Ahmedabad, who said he could no longer remain at home while the agitation continued.“I came from Ahmedabad because I couldn’t stay at home anymore. My mother has been calling me since morning, asking me to return, but I can’t leave now. What is happening today is the outcome of years of paper leaks and the way young people’s futures have been treated. If we don’t stand up now, nothing will change,” he said.Another protester, Chirag from Nagpur, questioned the manner in which Wangchuk was removed.“I had been waiting for a movement like this. When the police action began, there was heavy barricading, and there was scuffling with volunteers. If the authorities were genuinely concerned about Wangchuk’s health, they could have respectfully requested him to end his fast and assured him of talks. Instead, they forcibly took him away. Even if nothing happens on Monday, the protest will continue,” he said.Organisers also questioned the need for the operation, saying Wangchuk’s health had been monitored regularly by doctors throughout the hunger strike.On Friday, doctors overseeing the fast said Wangchuk had lost nearly 9.5 kg since beginning his indefinite hunger strike.By afternoon, protesters had regrouped under a black tarpaulin, raising slogans against the BJP-led central government and demanding the resignation of union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Volunteers also invited supporters to write letters to President Droupadi Murmu, which they said would be submitted during a planned march to Parliament on Monday.Many protesters said the police action had strengthened rather than weakened their resolve.“They can take one person away. That doesn’t end the protest. From today, more people will sit here,” Tejveer said.The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has been holding a protest at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, a judicial probe into the examination process and wider reforms in the education system. Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and had been on an indefinite hunger strike before being shifted to hospital on Saturday.
