Rahul Gandhi criticises removal of Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi commented on Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike for the first time on Saturday.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, reacted for the first time to Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. He termed the removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar as 'wrong' and accused the central government of using force against peaceful protests. Rahul Gandhi's statement came a few hours after Wangchuk was taken from the protest site to Safdarjung Hospital.

It is to be noted that on Saturday morning, Wangchuk was forcibly removed by the police from the hunger strike site for medical supervision and admitted to the hospital. Sonam Wangchuk was on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar over irregularities in examinations.

Reacting to the police action, Rahul accused the central government of suppressing peaceful protests and said that issues like paper leaks and student suicides cannot be ignored.

In a post on X, the Congress MP wrote,

"The core principles of the Modi government are 'falsehood' and 'violence'. It is wrong to remove Sonam Wangchuk Ji, who is on a non-violent hunger strike, from Jantar Mantar. Paper leaks and student suicides are serious issues for India's future. No power can stop India's students and those who love and believe in them from raising these issues."

It should be noted that Wangchuk was removed from the protest site when a march to Parliament was planned on July 20, the first day of the monsoon session.