Sonam Wangchuk Defies Doctors, Keeps Hunger Strike Alive After Police Clash

Sonam Wangchuk, the climate activist whose name has resurfaced in Delhi’s protest corridors, is still on an open‑ended hunger strike. It’s now more than three weeks since he began refusing food to press for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged NEET paper leakage.

He was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 after his health started slipping. Doctors say his vital signs are steady for now, but the numbers beneath the surface tell a different story. Blood‑sugar levels linger in the low range and a recent lab test showed his serum potassium at just 3.2 mEq/L – borderline low, to put it mildly.

Adding to the concern is a persistent pancytopenia, meaning his red cells, white cells and platelets are all running short. In plain English, his body is running out of the very cells that keep him alive and fight infection. The medical team has therefore placed him under constant observation, running serial blood work day after day.

Even with oral rehydration salts and potassium supplements being given, Wangchuk has repeatedly turned down any intravenous fluids or glucose. “He continues to decline IV fluids despite repeated medical advice,” the hospital’s bulletin reads. The staff says his mild‑to‑moderate dehydration, coupled with the physiological stress of prolonged fasting, makes close monitoring essential.

Why keep going? According to Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the activist was on the verge of ending the fast when a fresh wave of police aggression broke out during a march toward Parliament. “He had agreed, but after seeing yesterday’s brutality – lathis on children, police vehicles smashed – he decided to stay on,” Dipke told reporters.

Dipke also warned that the human body generally can’t survive beyond twenty‑one days without nourishment. “Beyond that, organs start to fail,” he said, noting that doctors had already mentioned muscle loss and the looming risk of organ damage.

Meanwhile, Delhi police have lodged FIRs against unidentified individuals for alleged stone‑pelting, vandalism and damage to police vehicles during the same protest. Investigations are said to be underway, though the focus remains on the activist’s health and the political fallout.

As the strike drags on, the medical team at Safdarjung remains vigilant. “All necessary care is being provided. Further treatment will hinge on clinical progress and lab findings,” the hospital statement concluded.

In the meantime, supporters outside the hospital continue chanting slogans, waving placards demanding the minister’s resignation, and urging the police to step back. The picture that emerges is a tug‑of‑war between a man who refuses to surrender his cause and a state apparatus that appears determined to end the protest by any means.