NEW DELHI: Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, on Saturday objected to any medical treatment being administered to him without her consent after Delhi Police shifted the activist to Safdarjung Hospital following a deterioration in his health during his 21-day indefinite hunger strike.
Confirming that Wangchuk had been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, Angmo said no medical procedure should begin without her approval and warned that authorities would be held accountable if anything happened to him.”
He is at Safdarjung Hospital. I forbid them from administering anything without my consent. No treatment should start without my consent. I hold everybody accountable if anything happens,” she told media.
Questioning the decision to hospitalise Wangchuk, Angmo claimed that he appeared stable on Friday and argued there was no immediate need for his transfer to the hospital. She further asserted that neither treatment nor medication should be administered without her consent and that of Wangchuk’s doctor.
Delhi Police, however, maintained that Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital for essential medical care on the advice of medical experts and in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court, which has been monitoring his health during the hunger strike.
The police also appealed to protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar to end their agitation peacefully and vacate the protest site at the earliest.
On Friday night, Wangchuk had reiterated his resolve to continue the indefinite fast despite his deteriorating health, stating in a video message that he had “lost 20 per cent of my body” during the protest. “Governments have fallen over the price of onions. I have lost 20 per cent of my body. It is time for this government to listen to the voice of the youth,” he had said.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in support of the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and reported student deaths linked to the controversy.
The Delhi High Court has directed that Wangchuk’s medical condition be assessed regularly and that appropriate medical intervention be provided whenever necessary.
