Civil rights group condemns 'forcible removal' of Sonam Wangchuk from protest site

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) A civil rights organisation on Sunday criticised the "forcible removal" of activist Sonam Wangchuk from his protest site by the Delhi Police and alleged that the action constitutes an attack on the democratic right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression. In a statement, Janhastakshep also claimed that students and young people across the country are deeply distressed by alleged corruption and the "exploitation" by coaching institutes. Parents are increasingly worried about their children’s education and future, and instead of addressing these concerns, the central and state governments continue to accelerate the privatisation of educational institutions and healthcare services, Janhastakshep convener Vikas Bajpai and co-convener Anil Dubey alleged in the statement. The police whisked away Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning on the 21st day of his hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar here, citing medical advice and Delhi High Court directions. Janhastakshep said for the past 21 days, Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding "accountability" from the central government over "corruption, commercialisation, and mismanagement in higher education". But on the morning of July 18, the police "forcibly removed" him from the hunger strike site, the organisation said, adding that the move is "highly condemnable" as it "ignored" the peaceful nature of the movement. PTI ACB ACB KVK KVK