Resident doctors from AIIMS and Safdarjung, two of the leading government hospitals in the capital, have separately written to President Draupadi Murmu expressing concern over the hospitalization of activist Sonam Wangchuk and the reported police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar on Monday.
The Resident Doctor Associations (RDAs) of AIIMS sent their letter on Tuesday, while VMMC-Safdarjung Hospital wrote to the President on Monday.
The AIIMS RDA had written a similar letter requesting an independent investigation into the events at Jantar Mantar and the circumstances surrounding Wangchuk’s admission to the hospital.
Read also | Delhi HC allows Sonam Wangchuk to be transferred to a private hospital, citing his fundamental rights
AIIMS RDA raises concerns
The AIIMS RDA, seen by HT, in their representation, said they were concerned over reports that Wangchuk was not allowed to leave the hospital despite him allegedly expressing his desire to seek Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA).
“The principle of informed consent and the right of the competent patient to refuse or discontinue treatment are fundamental ethical and legal principles of medical practice. Any departure from these principles must be subject to due process and transparent justification,” the letter said.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed Wangchuk to be transferred from Safdarjung Hospital to a private facility after hearing a petition filed by his wife.
Read also | ‘This is Gunda Gardi’: Uttarakhand HC rips police over arrest of Sonam-supporting leader Wangchuk
The association also pointed to reports and videos from Jantar Mantar, saying: “Other publicly circulating videos appear to depict security personnel engaging in threatening behavior toward a respected professor and students from Lady Hardinge Medical College. These reports warrant impartial and transparent examination.”
Regarding the use of force against protesters, the AIIMS RDA wrote: “The use of excessive force against peaceful protesters, if proven, threatens to undermine public confidence in democratic institutions.”
Seeking intervention, AIIMS doctors have asked for an “independent, impartial and time-bound investigation” into the events at Jantar Mantar, and a thorough probe into allegations of excessive force or misconduct by law enforcement personnel.
“As a non-political association, we remain independent from all political affiliations. We believe that every individual has the democratic right to protest peacefully,” the AIIMS RDA said.
Safdarjung RDA refers to hospital work
The day before, the letter written by Safdurjung RDA said: “Reports and publicly available visual images of his hospitalization at our institution, indicating unusual security arrangements – including restricted access to hospital areas, lockdown of parts of the hospital, deployment of extensive security personnel across several floors, and restrictions on routine operations at the hospital – have raised widespread concern. Whether these measures disrupt patient care, impede access to healthcare services, or create an environment in which the hospital appears to be an extension of law enforcement rather than a place.” For recovery, an independent examination is required.
The letter, seen by Hizb ut Tahrir, added: “We are equally concerned about the reports surrounding the events in Jantar Mantar, where peaceful protesters were subjected to the use of force. Such incidents, if proven, threaten to undermine public confidence in constitutional institutions and create an atmosphere of fear among citizens, including members of the medical fraternity, who are merely seeking to exercise their democratic rights.”
“Hospitals are institutions of recovery and should not be viewed as places of detention except in cases where such restriction is expressly permitted by law and implemented in accordance with due process,” the RDA representative added.
