Indian court rejects bid to release hunger-striking activist from hospital

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff and wire agencies, reported that the Delhi High Court has refused an urgent request by Gitanjali Angmo to secure the release of her husband, 59-year-old activist Sonam Wangchuk, from Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. Wangchuk was taken there by police on Saturday after about three weeks of a hunger strike linked to the Cockroach Janta Party protest movement. Angmo has described the hospitalization as unlawful detention and said the family has not been allowed to move him to a private hospital.

The court backed the government’s decision to keep Wangchuk under hospital care and did not order an immediate discharge. According to the report, Justice Mini Pushkarna said doctors had provided oral fluids and supplements with Wangchuk’s consent and found no violation of bodily autonomy. A further hearing is due on Friday. The hospital said his vital signs were stable, but some blood results were still slightly abnormal and he needed continued monitoring.

Wangchuk had been protesting at Jantar Mantar, a long-used demonstration site in the capital, alongside mostly young supporters of the CJP movement. The campaign began after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant reportedly compared some unemployed youth to “cockroaches,” a label protesters later turned into an ironic symbol.

The protests have broadened amid anger over India’s examination system, including alleged leaks and mismanagement. Demonstrators are calling for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, for exam reforms, and for compensation to families of students who died by suicide. Al Jazeera reported that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced an indefinite hunger strike after Wangchuk was hospitalized, and the group plans to march to Parliament as a new session begins.