‘I came to support Sonam Sir’: ‘Mohammad Deepak’ joins crowd outside Safdarjung hospital, calls it a “dark time” for the country

New Delhi: Among the crowd gathered outside Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday was Deepak Kumar, better known as “Mohammad Deepak”, who said he had come to show support for activist Sonam Wangchuk. Gitanjali Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, cancelled a scheduled media briefing that morning, but supporters and curious onlookers remained at the Netaji Subhas Gate (Gate No. 2), which was heavily barricaded and guarded by police.

Deepak, a gym owner from Kotdwar who in January publicly identified himself as “Mohammad Deepak” after confronting a mob harassing an elderly Muslim shopkeeper, said he had spoken to Gitanjali a few days earlier. “She said my support would mean a lot to Sonam. That’s why I came to meet him, but the police did not allow me inside,” he told The Indian Express.

The police presence restricted vehicle entry and subjected visitors to questioning about their purpose. Dr Satish Lamba, Wangchuk’s personal physician, said he had not been allowed to see the activist since Wangchuk was removed from the protest site. “This is literally a fortress they have made,” Lamba said.

Deepak, who has also visited the Jantar Mantar protest camp, said he planned to join the CJP’s march to Parliament on Monday. He criticised the government’s response to the NEET-UG paper leak and described the current period as “a very dark time for our country.” “The way Sonam sir was removed from the protest site was illegal. He is being kept inside like a prisoner,” Deepak added.

Also at the gate, 32-year-old daily-wage worker Pradeep Paswan, who said he had travelled from Madhubani in Bihar, maintained that Wangchuk had continued his hunger strike even after hospitalization. “He has still not broken his fast. There was no need for the police to take him,” Paswan said, urging people to join the march.

Not everyone near the barricades was a supporter. Some were regular hospital visitors surprised and inconvenienced by the security cordon. A couple from Laxmi Nagar, identifying themselves as Sandeep and Geeta, said they were unaware of the protest or of who Wangchuk was.

Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janata Party have been camped at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the May 3 NEET-UG question paper leak. The group has vowed to march to Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon Session despite police orders restricting protests to the designated site.