The Delhi Police carried out a carefully planned operation in the early hours of Saturday to remove climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site, taking him to Safdurjung hospital for medical care. The entire exercise was executed under a highly confidential, three-layer strategy, according to police sources.
Sources said the plan was finalised during a high-level meeting convened after the new Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar assumed charge. The operation was reportedly designed to ensure that Wangchuk could be shifted without triggering a confrontation or allowing large crowds to gather at the protest site.
According to the sources, the timing of the operation was chosen with precision. Police waited until the early morning hours, when the number of protesters present at Jantar Mantar was at its lowest. Officials also waited for Wangchuk’s close associate, Abhijeet Dipke, to briefly leave the protest site. Sources also claimed this was done because Dipke was coordinating activities on the stage, and his temporary absence was seen as an opportunity to carry out the operation with minimal resistance.
The operation involved around 30 to 35 personnel drawn from the New Delhi district’s Special Staff and the local police. All of them entered the barricaded protest site in plain clothes, according to sources. The decision to deploy officers without uniforms was part of the effort to keep the operation discreet and prevent panic or confusion among those present.
Police sources further claimed that the details of the operation were shared only with a select group of senior officers, with strict confidentiality maintained throughout the planning and execution stages. According to the sources, only officials directly involved in the exercise were aware of the complete strategy.
One of the most notable aspects of the operation was the manner in which Wangchuk was moved from the protest venue. Police personnel first surrounded his bed with large white sheets, effectively shielding the movement from public view. They then quietly shifted him from the stage to a waiting ambulance. According to the sources, this step was intended to prevent crowds from assembling and to avoid any commotion during the removal.
The operation itself was executed through a three-layer security arrangement, sources added. In the first layer, plainclothes police personnel secured the stage and carried out the removal of Wangchuk.
The second layer comprised personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), who remained outside the barricades to keep protesters from entering the area and to prevent any confrontation. The third layer consisted of senior police officers stationed near the ambulance and police vehicles, from where they monitored and supervised the entire operation.
Once Wangchuk was placed inside the ambulance, the traffic police reportedly facilitated a green corridor-like route, ensuring that the vehicle reached Safdarjung Hospital without any obstruction or delay.
Soon after the operation concluded, Abhijeet Dipke returned to the protest site. He alleged that Sonam Wangchuk had been removed while he was away and criticised the timing of the action. Dipke also announced that he would continue his hunger strike and carry forward the protest movement.
Delhi Police, however, maintained that the entire operation was conducted peacefully and with maximum restraint. The police also appealed to the remaining protesters to vacate the Jantar Mantar site peacefully, reiterating that the action had been carried out without any untoward incident.
Bureau Report
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