Indian police on Saturday shifted prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital after his health deteriorated during a 20-day hunger strike demanding education reforms.

Security was tightened around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the city's designated protest site, where Wangchuk had been staging the hunger strike with students and activists from the Cockroach Janta Party.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following allegations that examination papers were leaked before tests. They are also calling for major reforms to the country's examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the alleged leaks or exam results.

Wangchuk, a 59-year-old engineer and education reform campaigner, has become the face of the movement, which emerged in May after Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant compared some unemployed young people to "cockroaches" during a court hearing on an unrelated matter.

Supporters later adopted the term as a symbol of resilience, launching a satirical political movement that quickly gained more than 21 million followers on Instagram.

Delhi Police said Wangchuk was taken to hospital on medical advice and under a court directive after his condition worsened due to the prolonged hunger strike.

Police said a brief scuffle broke out when some protesters tried to stop the authorities from moving him to hospital.

However, the Cockroach Janta Party claimed in a social media post that Wangchuk had been "forcefully abducted" by the government without his or his family's consent.

Authorities deployed additional police and paramilitary personnel and set up extra barricades around the protest site. Police said the increased security was a precautionary measure and urged protesters to cooperate with law enforcement.