Sonam Wangchuk extends hunger strike over Delhi Police action

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has decided to continue his hunger strike until Parliament takes cognisance of the Delhi Police action against protesters during the 'Sansad Chalo' march, his wife Gitanjali J Angmo said after a Delhi High Court hearing

New Delhi: Innovator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for the last 24 days, has decided to continue his agitation till the Parliament takes cognisance of the Delhi Police’s “brutal action” on protestors during their ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, wife Gitanjali J. Angmo said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after a Delhi High Court order which allowed Wangchuk to be shifted to Medanta from Safdarjung Hospital, she said: “Sonam has decided to continue his hunger strike because of the cruelty and ruthlessness with which the students were treated.

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“They were beaten, lathi-charged, and tear gas was used against them. In solidarity with those students, he has extended his hunger strike until Parliament takes cognisance of their demands and they are heard.”

She said: “Yesterday, the youth of India showed peaceful resilience, which was unprecedented.”

Reacting to allegations of several agitators attacking police personnel, Angmo said: “I was in the truck, when the police entered and forcefully tried to take Abhijit too. Around me, everyone made a human chain and protected me. If this was happening to me when I was behind that truck, then whatever happened with students – we have all seen it. If I had been alone and something was done to me; I would have defended myself too.”

Further, Wangchuk’s wife alleged that those MPs who had come to the Safdarjung Hospital, were not allowed to meet him.

“The doctors who had been treating Wangchuk for the last 20 days were present today in court and said that nowhere it happens that the patient’s doctors aren’t allowed to see him at a government hospital. That is why we have been wanting to move him from here (Safdarjung) because of this feeling of being kept in detention,” she added.

Thanking the Delhi High Court for disposing the matter in their favour, she said: “In India, every democratic citizen has the right to choose their doctor, hospital, and course of treatment.”

Moreover, Wangchuk’s wife reiterated her “trust deficit” because the activist “was brought to the Safdarjung Hospital, not by the medical staff but by police in civil dress”.

“Firstly, this hospitalisation itself was not required because monitoring of his vitals was being done at Jantar Mantar itself. He was intentionally being kept in the ICU in order to curb his communication with the outside world,” she claimed.

Angmo further said that Wangchuk is currently stable while mentioning that a slight difference in his vital parameters is “natural after around 25 days of hunger strike”.