{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi Demands Wangchuk's Release, Seeks Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation Over Hospitalisation Row",
  "summary": "Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi has called the forced hospitalisation of activist Sonam Wangchuk unconstitutional, demanding his immediate release and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.",
  "content": "Raijor Dal chief and sitting MLA Akhil Gogoi has hit out at the Delhi Police for pulling social and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk away from his fast-unto-death site on Saturday, calling the move an attack on the activist's basic rights and demanding that he be set free without delay.\n\nGogoi Demands Wangchuk's Release and Pradhan's Exit\nGogoi said forcibly moving a man who was observing a hunger strike amounted to trampling on fundamental and constitutional guarantees, and described the episode as troubling. \"As a representative of the people of Assam and the North East, I demand that Sonam Wangchuk be released immediately,\" he said.\n\nThe MLA argued that Wangchuk's cause goes well beyond the education system and touches the future of the entire country. He insisted that the government must accept the demand to remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from office, describing Wangchuk as someone fighting on behalf of ordinary citizens and future generations, and appealing to people across the country to unite behind the activist's cause.\n\nHow Wangchuk Ended Up in Hospital\nDelhi Police shifted Wangchuk from the protest venue at Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning. He had been refusing food for several days to press for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, holding the minister responsible for widespread lapses in national-level examinations, among them the controversy surrounding the leaked NEET paper. His fast had drawn wide attention as a protest against what he described as failures in the examination system affecting students nationwide.\n\nCockroach Janata Party's March Plan Runs Into Trouble\nEven after Wangchuk's hospitalisation, members of the Cockroach Janata Party have kept up their sit-in at Jantar Mantar and are pushing ahead with plans to march toward Parliament on Monday, the opening day of the Monsoon Session. The march itself was originally announced by Wangchuk before he was hospitalised on Saturday morning.\n\nThe group has not yet formally sought the Delhi Police's go-ahead for this march. Given the tight security cover that is typically thrown around Parliament during a session, any such request, even if filed now, stands little chance of being cleared. Delhi Police routinely clamps prohibitory orders on the New Delhi district, close to Parliament House and India Gate, invoking Section 163 of the BNSS, the provision that replaced the earlier Section 144, whenever Parliament is in session. These restrictions are expected to remain firmly in place through the Monsoon Session.\n\nOpposition Leaders Rally Behind Wangchuk\nThe handling of Wangchuk's hunger strike by the police has triggered sharp reactions from across the Opposition. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party colleague Pawan Khera were among the Opposition voices criticising the police action, alongside AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and several Samajwadi Party leaders, adding to the political pressure building around the government over the episode.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThis dispute could shape how the government responds on national exam reforms and Parliament security this week.\n\n• Across India: Students preparing for national-level exams like NEET may continue to see political pressure on the education ministry over alleged exam irregularities.\n• In Assam: Gogoi, who represents Assam and the North East, has made this a regional political issue, so the demand for Pradhan's resignation is likely to stay a talking point among voters there.\n• Commuters and visitors near Parliament House and India Gate in Delhi should expect tighter security and prohibitory orders through the Monsoon Session, especially around Monday's planned march.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Why was Sonam Wangchuk taken to hospital?\nHe was on a hunger strike demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, and Delhi Police moved him from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday.\n\n2. What has Akhil Gogoi demanded?\nHe has demanded Sonam Wangchuk's immediate release and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.\n\n3. What was Wangchuk's hunger strike about?\nHe was demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged nationwide examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak controversy.\n\n4. What does the Cockroach Janata Party plan to do next?\nIt plans to march to Parliament on Monday, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, though it has not yet sought Delhi Police permission for the march.\n\n5. Is the march likely to be permitted?\nGiven the stringent security protocols in place during a Parliament session, permission is highly unlikely to be granted.\n\n6. Which Opposition leaders criticised the police action?\nCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party leaders criticised the action.\n\n7. Under what law are restrictions imposed in the New Delhi district?\nDelhi Police imposes prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS, which earlier was Section 144, around Parliament House and India Gate.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/politics/assam-ke-vidhayaka-akhil-gogoi-ne-wangchuk-ki-rihai-aura-dharmendra-pradhan-ke-istiphe-ki-uthai-manga-8685",
  "category": "Politics",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-19",
  "tags": [
    "Sonam Wangchuk",
    "Akhil Gogoi",
    "Dharmendra Pradhan",
    "Raijor Dal",
    "Delhi Police",
    "NEET paper leak",
    "Monsoon Session",
    "Jantar Mantar"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}