Cops in plain clothes, wall of white sheets: Protesters recall Wangchuk’s 5-min removal

New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The first instinct was to hit record. But by the time protesters rushed towards the stage at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, all that remained visible was a wall of white bedsheets, behind which activist Sonam Wangchuk was whisked away, according to those at the site.

Between 7 am and 8 am on Saturday, protesters alleged that several Delhi Police personnel, some in plain clothes, entered the Jantar Mantar protest site and approached activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for the last 20 days.

As paramilitary forces formed an outer ring, some officers surrounded his mattress, others held large white bedsheets to block the crowd's view before lifting Wangchuk and carrying him to a waiting ambulance.

"It happened so fast that nobody could understand what was going on," said 22-year-old Talha, who had arrived from Patna the previous night after following the protest for days.

"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," Talha told PTI.

He added that watching the activist being carried away left many protesters shaken.

"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," Talha said, his voice breaking.

Several protesters alleged that the police had been monitoring the protest site for days and chose a moment when there were fewer volunteers near Wangchuk. They also claimed that an object had been thrown at Wangchuk during the protest the previous evening.

"They knew when to come," alleged Tejveer, who has been at Jantar Mantar almost since the beginning of the protest and announced his own hunger strike after Wangchuk was taken away.

The operation, protesters said, was over in about five to 10 minutes.

As Wangchuk was taken towards the ambulance, people rushed from different parts of the site. Some alleged there was pushing and jostling as police personnel cleared a path. A few protesters claimed volunteers suffered minor injuries in the commotion.

Police, however, said Wangchuk was moved to Safdarjung Hospital following medical advice and directions of the Delhi High Court. According to them, some protesters attempted to obstruct the operation, but personnel exercised maximum restraint while completing it.

Even as Wangchuk was being taken away, protesters alleged another group of police personnel moved towards the nearby AISA camp, where students Neha, Aameen and Manish have also been on an indefinite hunger strike.

People who rushed towards the stage turned back and formed a human chain around the three fasting students, linking arms and refusing to let the police reach them.

"They came towards our tent too," Neha said, adding that by then, people had gathered around us.

The entrance to Jantar Mantar remained heavily fortified through the day, with multiple layers of police personnel deployed around the protest site. Metal barricades restricted access while security personnel maintained a close watch on people entering the venue.

By afternoon, there was little sign of the protest dispersing.

The mattress on which Wangchuk had spent the last three weeks remained on the stage, and behind it, volunteers placed a black-and-white framed photograph of the activist.

Protesters alleged that the electricity supply to the site was cut off after the police action. The table fans that had offered some relief from the July heat had stopped working. Under the black tarpaulin, people fanned one another with small plastic hand fans.

Several protesters also said that mobile networks stopped working for nearly an hour after the police action. When the network slowly returned, phones began ringing one after another.

Three days ago, Sandeep travelled from Ahmedabad to join the protest. "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," he told PTI.

"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 added.

Nearby, Chirag, who had travelled 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 told PTI, referring to the march to Parliament on July 20.

For many protesters, the questions were no longer only about Wangchuk's health but also about the manner in which he was removed.

"Doctors examined him every day. We were told every day that his vital signs were being checked," one organiser said.

On Friday, doctors overseeing Wangchuk's hunger strike informed that he had lost nearly 9.5 kg since it began.

By the afternoon, the protest site was once again bustling with people. Many protesters gathered under a black tarpaulin, chanting slogans against the BJP-led central government and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Others were busy painting new placards and discussing the police action from earlier that morning.

Nearby, volunteers encouraged visitors and supporters to write handwritten letters to President Droupadi Murmu, assuring them that these letters would be compiled and carried during a march to Parliament Gate No. 38 on Monday, where they would be submitted to her.

Some protesters commented that the police action seemed to have fortified, rather than diminished, their resolve. "They can take one person away," Tejveer told PTI, looking towards the camp where the three AISA activists continued their fast.

"That doesn't end the protest. From today, more people will sit here," he asserted. PTI