Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday criticised the removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar while he was on an indefinite hunger strike, calling the police action "wrong" and accusing the Narendra Modi government of being guided by "Asatya and Hinsa" (falsehood and violence).
In a post on X, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, "The removal of Sonam Wangchuk ji from Jantar Mantar while he was on a non-violent hunger strike is wrong."
Gandhi said issues such as paper leaks, the rising cost of education and student suicides were critical to India's future, asserting that no amount of force could deter students or those standing with them from raising these concerns.
The Congress also condemned the police action, calling it a "blot" on the country's democracy and the Constitution.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Be it Professor G.D. Agarwal, who sat on a fast-unto-death for 111 days to save Mother Ganga, or the Olympic wrestlers from Haryana; Be it our 750 farmers who feed the nation, Dalits and Adivasis, or the 25 youths and their families who fell victim to exam paper leaks; this authoritarian government has spared no one."
In their eyes, anyone who raises their voice is branded "anti-national" or a "parasite", Kharge said, slamming the BJP-led government.
"What transpired at Jantar Mantar today is yet another blot on our democracy and Constitution," the Congress chief said.
The "Chhatron ki Goonj (voice of the students)" has begun to resonate from Kota and Dehradun, and it will certainly reach the very doorstep of Delhi, he said.
Congress' media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, said the Constitution guarantees the right to dissent, but the home ministry appears determined to deny it.
"The Delhi Police reports directly to the home ministry, the very ministry that appointed a new police commissioner in Delhi just yesterday. If today's crackdown is his first brief, it sends a chilling message: political obedience takes precedence over Constitutional duty," Khera said.
From dragging away women wrestlers to manhandling ex-servicemen, this government has repeatedly demonstrated its contempt for the Constitution, he alleged.
"Today's actions lay bare this government's mindset: peaceful protest is not a fundamental democratic right to be protected, but a law-and-order problem to be crushed," Khera said.
"It is a shame that the world's largest democracy is being 'ruled' by the most undemocratic and anti-democratic political party in the world," he said.
Senior party leader Sachin Pilot accused the Centre of avoiding dialogue and suppressing dissent over growing public anger on issues related to the education system.
"The government is not ready to talk to Sonam Wangchuk ji nor accept his demands. When pressure is building from across the country on the issues for which he was on a hunger strike, the government appears rattled," Pilot told reporters during a visit to his Tonk constituency in Rajasthan.
He alleged that instead of engaging with Wangchuk, who had been on a peaceful hunger strike, the government chose to remove him from the protest site.
"This shows the government neither wants to fulfil the demands nor engage in dialogue. No representative went to speak to Wangchuk or understand the issues. Instead of resolving the matter, they removed him. This is very unfortunate," he said.
Pilot also claimed that growing public anger, particularly among the youth over paper leaks and the lack of accountability, had put the government on the back foot. He said students were demanding transparency, action against those responsible for examination irregularities and clarity from the Centre, including on the demand for the education minister's resignation.
Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital early on Saturday after his health deteriorated on the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike. Delhi Police said the move was carried out on medical advice and in compliance with directions of the Delhi High Court.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said Wangchuk was admitted after his condition worsened and was receiving the necessary medical care. He added that while some protesters attempted to obstruct the operation, police exercised maximum restraint and completed the exercise without major incident.
Following the hospitalisation, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that the protesters had been subjected to a police crackdown.
"I have been beaten up and put under detention by Delhi Police," Dipke claimed in a post on X.
The CJP also shared a video purportedly showing Wangchuk being carried away from the protest site wrapped in a white sheet.
"A frail old man, after 20 days of a hunger strike, was picked up, wrapped in white sheets and taken away by Delhi Police. This is a national shame," the party said.
Wangchuk and three activists associated with the All India Students' Association (AISA) have been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in support of the CJP-led protest demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and reported student deaths linked to the controversy.
The Congress had earlier appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, expressing concern over his deteriorating health.
(With inputs from PTI)
