Delhi Police shift Sonam Wangchuk to hospital; wife objects to treatment without consent

New Delhi: Activist Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by the Delhi Police early on Saturday after entering the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike. However, his wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, said no medical treatment should be administered to him without her consent.

Confirming his hospitalisation, Angmo questioned the decision to move Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site, claiming he had appeared to be in stable condition on Friday. "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 PTI.

She further said neither she nor Wangchuk's doctor had consented to any treatment. "Yesterday, he was doing fine. There was no need to bring him to the hospital. It's my right under Article 32. Without my consent and my doctor's consent, nothing can be administered," she said.

The Delhi Police said Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital for "essential medical care" on the advice of medical experts and in compliance with the Delhi High Court's directions. The police also appealed to protesters at Jantar Mantar to end their agitation and vacate the site peacefully.

In a video message released on Friday night, Wangchuk said he remained determined to continue the fast despite his deteriorating health, claiming he had "lost 20 per cent of my body" since beginning the hunger strike. "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 said.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in support of the CJP-led protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and the reported deaths of students linked to the controversy. The Delhi High Court has been monitoring his health and directed that his condition be assessed regularly, with appropriate medical intervention provided if necessary.

(With PTI inputs)