Shiv Sena Accuses Government of ‘Strangling Democracy’ After Sonam Vangchuk Hospitalised

Mumbai — In a fiery editorial published on July 20, the Shiv Sena (UBT) accused the Union government of “strangling the very neck of Indian democracy” following the emergency hospitalisation of protester Sonam Vangchuk.

The party’s newspaper *Saamna* described the incident as a “dramatic display of democratic murder,” pointing to the police raid that removed Vangchuk from her 20‑day sit‑in at the Jantar‑Mantar protest site and placed her in a Delhi ICU. Shiv Sena leaders said the operation mirrors a “comb‑through of a Gandhian activist,” underscoring what they call the government’s cowardice.

The editorial also cited other recent actions, including a lathi‑charge on a leader from the Kokrak Janata Party and an alleged ink‑throwing attack by a BJP supporter on party volunteers. Shiv Sena framed these incidents as a pattern of state‑sanctioned intimidation aimed at safeguarding corrupt officials while silencing dissent.

Calling for nationwide solidarity, the party warned that the government’s reliance on “lies, repression and guns” will only fuel a broader movement for “fear‑free India and justice‑free India.”