Indian activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, on hunger strike for the past 20 days in Delhi, has been forcibly removed from his protest site.

The 59-year-old had been protesting in support of an online satirical movement called the Cucaracha Janta Party (CJP), which seeks education reforms. Protesters had planned a march to the Indian parliament on Monday.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke told the BBC he had gone to a friend’s house in the morning to freshen up when police officers turned up and refused to let him out.

Wangchuk was on hunger strike in the scorching summer and consumed nothing but salt and water. I had lost over 9kg and was in a lot of pain.

Videos from the site of Saturday’s protest showed the chaos that broke out just before 07:30 local time (02:00 GMT) when dozens of police and paramilitaries descended on the stage where the activist was lying. Protesters who tried to stop them were repulsed.

They covered him with curtains of sheets before taking him off the stage. Minutes later, an ambulance was seen speeding away.

Dipke, who had been at Wangchuk’s side throughout the protest, said he had not been told where Wangchuk was taken.

A senior police official told reporters that Wangchuk had been transferred “in accordance with [a court] order, and depending on health conditions and medical advice”.

“Sonam Wangchuk has been shifted to a government hospital for much-needed medical intervention and is currently under medical supervision,” said Sachin Sharma, deputy commissioner of police.

He was referring to a Delhi High Court order on Thursday asking the federal government to regularly monitor Wangchuk’s health and provide him with necessary treatment if required.

Wangchuk had refused to end his indefinite hunger strike despite growing calls for him to do so. Despite his failing health, he had insisted he would take part in Monday’s march to parliament.

“I have become weak on the outside but I am strong on the inside,” Wangchuk told the crowd gathered at the protest site, Jantar Mantar, a 300-year-old observatory, a couple of days ago. His statement was met with cheers and applause.

“Together we will peacefully march towards parliament and present our demands at the altar of democracy,” he said.

The activist then joked that if he died before the march, his “ghost would join the march.”

It is unclear whether the CJP will continue to try to march on parliament, but it is unlikely that the activist will be able to participate.

The CJP began in May as a satirical online movement to protest against document leaks and other irregularities in India’s major exams and has gained a large following on social media.

The protesters, who call themselves cockroaches, have been protesting for a month now. Members of some student organizations have also joined Wangchuk in his fast.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a key entrance exam for aspiring doctors was canceled in early May following a leak of documents. They say the minister must take moral responsibility and resign.

Pradhan has dismissed the CJP and its supporters as “the B team of disruptive elements”. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has yet to engage with the protesters.

But there was growing pressure from the opposition and civil society leaders for the government to do so.

On Thursday, former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal visited Wangchuk.

In a video shared by CJP, Kejriwal is seen greeting the activist with folded hands before shaking his hand. He called on the government to engage with the protesters.

“Every year exams are leaked and young people pay the price,” he said. “I appeal to the government to listen to the students and Wangchuk.”

He added that “Pradhan should be removed from office and replaced by Wangchuk.”