India, July 19 -- Early Saturday morning, as the sun rose over Jantar Mantar, a dramatic scene took place at India's main protest site. Plainclothes police officers, pretending to be a medical team, quickly removed climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk from his 21st day of an indefinite hunger strike.

Wangchuk, a 59-year-old Ladakhi innovator known for his peaceful protests, had been camping at the site since late June to support the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The group, led by Abhijeet Dipke, is calling for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in national exams, including NEET.

Eyewitnesses described a tense scene as, around 7 am, about 10 plainclothes off...