New Delhi: Gitanjali J Angmo, spouse of activist-educator Sonam Wangchuk, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking an urgent Sunday hearing to obtain permission to transfer him from Safdarjung Hospital to a private medical facility of her choosing.
Angmo said she had “lost faith” in the care at Safdarjung Hospital and wanted to move Wangchuk before his condition worsened.
In a post on her X account, she argued that no family should be forced to battle the system to determine where a relative receives medical treatment and accused the hospital’s public health bulletin of having “conveniently omitted” the actual potassium value.
“Despite repeated requests, the hospital has refused to discharge him or allow us to shift him to a private hospital of our choice. With around 30 police personnel stationed on our floor and well over 100 across the hospital, our movement is severely restricted. It is not medical care. It is illegal detention,” she said.
“I have therefore moved the High Court and sought an urgent hearing today, praying for permission to shift Sonam before his health deteriorates further. No family should have to fight the system simply to choose where their loved one receive medical care,” she added.
Safdarjung Hospital, meanwhile, said on Sunday that Wangchuk is receiving “required medical intervention” and is being closely monitored by a team of specialists. The hospital said his blood parameters were “slightly altered” due to physiological stress and the systemic effects of prolonged fasting, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Wangchuk was forcefully taken to Safdarjung Hospital by the Delhi Police on Saturday, on the 21st day of his hunger strike. He began an indefinite fast on June 28 in solidarity with the CJP-led protests alleging irregularities in the NEET exam and in response to reported student deaths related to the controversy.
Angmo also alleged that hospital staff told the family that Wangchuk’s potassium level had dropped from 4.3 to 2.9 — a decrease described to them as life-threatening — but that the family’s requests for copies of his medical reports were repeatedly turned down.
