Police Block Supporters and Doctor Outside Safdarjung Hospital to See Sonam Wangchuk
On Sunday morning, July 19, 2026, heavy police deployment and barricades turned the area outside Netaji Subhas Gate (Gate No. 2) of Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi into a "fortress," blocking supporters and a personal physician from seeing detained activist Sonam Wangchuk. The restrictions came as Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, called off a scheduled media briefing outside the hospital.
Security forces prohibited the entry of vehicles and questioned anyone approaching the gate. Among those stopped by police was Dr. Satish Lamba, Wangchuk’s personal physician. Lamba stated he had not been allowed to see Wangchuk since the activist was forcibly removed from his protest site.
Activists and supporters had gathered at the gate hoping to meet Wangchuk. Deepak Kumar, an activist supporter from Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, known as "Mohammad Deepak," was among those denied entry. Kumar said he traveled to the hospital after Wangchuk’s wife indicated his presence would mean a lot to the activist.
Kumar criticized the police action, calling the removal of Wangchuk from his protest site illegal. He stated that the government was not listening to anyone's demands and that Wangchuk was being kept inside like a prisoner.
Wangchuk and the youth activist platform Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the leak of the May 3 NEET-UG question paper. The group has announced a march to Parliament on Monday to coincide with the first day of the Monsoon Session.
Another supporter, 32-year-old daily-wage labourer Pradeep Paswan from Madhubani, Bihar, questioned the police's decision to detain Wangchuk. Paswan noted that Wangchuk is continuing his hunger strike even inside the hospital.
The heavy police presence also affected ordinary citizens visiting the hospital. Sandeep and Geeta, a couple from Laxmi Nagar who arrived for medical reasons, expressed surprise at the barricades, stating they were unaware of the protests or who Wangchuk was.
