Opposition attacks Centre after Sonam Wangchuk shifted from Jantar Mantar protest

Opposition parties on Saturday strongly criticised the Centre after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital following a prolonged hunger strike Leaders from several opposition parties alleged that the action amounted to suppression of peaceful protest and accused the government of avoiding dialogue over the demands raised by the protestersWangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in support of the Cockroach Janata Partys CJP agitation over alleged examination irregularities and the demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan His removal from the protest site came two days before a proposed march to Parliament scheduled for July 20 the opening day of the Monsoon SessionOpposition questions police action against WangchukAam Aadmi Party AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the Centre should have engaged with Wangchuk instead of removing him from the protest siteSuch arrogance is not right Instead of forcibly lifting him the Narendra Modi government should have talked to Sonam Wangchuk Instead of crushing the cockroach movement and reforming the countryrsquos education and examination system the Modi governmentrsquos defeat is in forcibly dealing with Sonam Wangchuk Kejriwal allegedShiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the action calling it an attack on democratic rightsWhat a shame The world watches democracy in India being broken by force shamelessly Even peaceful protests for students against an incompetent minister are not tolerated anymore he allegedCongress says right to dissent is being underminedCongress MP Pawan Khera who met Wangchuk on Friday said the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to peaceful protest and alleged that the Union government was treating dissent as a lawandorder issueThe Delhi Police reports directly to the Home Ministry ndash the very ministry that appointed a new police commissioner in Delhi just yesterday If todayrsquos crackdown is his first brief it sends a chilling message political obedience takes precedence over Constitutional duty he allegedKhera further criticised the governments handling of protestsFrom dragging away women wrestlers to manhandling exservicemen this government has repeatedly demonstrated its contempt for the Constitutionhellippeaceful protest is not a fundamental democratic right to be protected but a lawandorder problem to be crushed It is a shame that the worldrsquos largest democracy is being lsquoruledrsquo by the most undemocratic and antidemocratic political party of the world he addedAkhilesh Yadav Sharad Pawar seek accountabilitySamajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav termed Wangchuks removal utterly reprehensible and demanded that his treatment at Safdarjung Hospital be conducted under judicial oversightThe forcible removal of Shri Sonam Wangchuk Ji from his indefinite fast site through the use of lsquoforcersquo is an utterly reprehensible development This incidenthelliphas already spread across the entire country and the whole world in a short span of time The entire world and the nation are deeply concerned about Shri Sonam Wangchuk Ji and there is also widespread outrage against the BJP government he saidNationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar chief Sharad Pawar also criticised the Centre alleging that the government acted only after the situation escalatedWhen the government realised that the situation was going beyond its control it decided to take action This morning they arrested him Even if he has been arrested the protest will continue Pawar saidHe further claimed that no representative of the Union government had met Wangchuk during his hunger strike and said the Opposition would raise the issue during the upcoming Monsoon Session of ParliamentSanjay Raut links action to Nagpur protestShiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut alleged that Wangchuks removal was timed to divert public attention from the partys Ram Raksha protest being held in Nagpur under the leadership of Uddhav ThackerayThis is pure tyranny The government failed to resolve the core issues for which Sonam Wangchuk was fasting for 21 days Raut saidHe further allegedThe second motive behind this brutal suppression of Sonam Wangchuk is to divert the spotlight from the massive Elgar protest call being launched in Nagpur today under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray against the looting of the Ram Mandir He was forcibly detained and hospitalized just to shift the media and public gaze Raut claimedMore Opposition parties criticise CentreTrinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose alleged that the government acted because it was concerned about Wangchuks proposed march to ParliamentIt is dictatorship and is unacceptable unfortunate and constitutes an assault on democracy and the rights of the people she saidAAP leaders Manish Sisodia Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticised the Delhi Police action alleging that the government was attempting to suppress peaceful dissent instead of addressing concerns over alleged examination irregularities