Doctors had warned of serious health risks as Wangchuk continued his prolonged fast, with reports of significant weight loss, low blood pressure and declining blood sugar levels.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, July 18: Ladakh-based activist, engineer and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was taken to a hospital by Delhi Police from the Jantar Mantar protest site on Saturday morning after his health reportedly deteriorated on the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike.
Television visuals and videos circulating on social media showed police personnel escorting Wangchuk into an ambulance as doctors monitored his condition. Officials are yet to disclose the hospital where he has been admitted, while an official medical bulletin on his condition is awaited.
Wangchuk had been on a continuous fast since late June, joining the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The agitation has focused on allegations of irregularities in competitive examinations, including NEET, and demands for greater accountability from the Union government. Protesters have also sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
VIDEO | Chaos at Jantar Mantar, where activist Sonam Wangchuk is on indefinite hunger strike since last 20 days, amid heavy police deployment.#JantarMantar #SonamWangchuk
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/ZcNLoHHd2W
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 18, 2026
Alongside these demands, Wangchuk has continued to highlight his long-standing campaign for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, including statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and stronger environmental protection for the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
READ: Did Aamir Khan Really Not Know Wangchuk Before 3 Idiots?
Medical updates released by his team over the past week indicated a steady decline in his health. Doctors monitoring him at the protest site had reported that he had lost more than eight kilograms since beginning the fast and was suffering from low blood pressure, falling blood sugar levels, muscle loss and increasing physical weakness. While he remained mentally alert, physicians repeatedly warned that continuing the hunger strike could result in serious organ damage.
Several other protesters participating in the indefinite fast have also required medical attention in recent days, with some student activists being shifted to hospitals after their condition worsened.
Despite repeated appeals from supporters and doctors to end the fast, Wangchuk had remained resolute. In recent public addresses, he declared that he would “stay alive by any means” until at least a proposed march to Parliament scheduled for July 20. In one speech, he remarked that he would continue the movement “even as a ghost” if necessary, underscoring his determination to press ahead with the campaign.
His hospitalisation comes as the protest enters its fourth week, raising fresh concerns among supporters over his health and the future course of the agitation.
Further details regarding Wangchuk’s medical condition and the authorities’ next course of action are awaited.
