Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday criticised the Centre over the police action against climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, alleging that the government was attempting to suppress the right to dissent guaranteed under the Indian Constitution. Reacting to the development in a post on X, Khera said that the Centre was denying the constitutional right to dissent, questioning the timing of the new Delhi Police Commissioner's appointment. "Our Constitution guarantees the right to dissent. The Home Ministry appears determined to deny it. The Delhi Police reports directly to the Home Ministry - the very Ministry that appointed a new Police Commissioner in Delhi just yesterday," he wrote. "If today's crackdown is his first brief, it sends a chilling message: political obedience takes precedence over Constitutional duty," he added.
Khera alleged that the government's actions reflected a disregard for democratic rights. "From dragging away women wrestlers to manhandling ex-servicemen, this government has repeatedly demonstrated its contempt for the Constitution. Today's actions lay bare this government's mindset: peaceful protest is not a fundamental democratic right to be protected, but a law-and-order problem to be crushed," he said. Khera further hit out at the BJP, alleging that the world's largest democracy was being governed by an anti-democratic party. "It is a shame that the world's largest democracy is being 'ruled' by the most undemocratic and anti-democratic political party of the world," he said.
His remarks came after Delhi Police took away Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday morning due to health concerns following his prolonged hunger strike.