After the Delhi High Court on Sunday refused to allow activist Sonam Wangchuk to be transferred from Safdarjung Hospital to a private hospital, his wife, Gitanjali J. Angmo, said that between 30 to 40 police personnel were deployed on the eighth floor of the government facility, restricting his access and preventing him from consulting doctors of his choice.
Speaking to the media, Angmo said they moved the High Court to get permission to transfer Wangchuk to a hospital where he and his family would be comfortable for treatment.
“We petitioned the Supreme Court that a free citizen of India has the right to go to any hospital where he feels comfortable. We appealed that we should be allowed to go where we want to go. But the Supreme Court did not allow us to go, saying it was concerned about his health,” Angmo said.
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Watch her statement here:
She said they would challenge the order before the division bench once the detailed order was made available.
When questioning the treatment provided at Safdarjung Hospital, Angmo claimed that Wangchuk’s personal doctors, who had been monitoring his health for years, were not allowed access to him.
“They are not allowing our doctors to come here. Dr. Diji, who has been monitoring Sonam for the past 20 days, is standing here, but they are not allowing him to enter his room,” she claimed.
She added: “Every patient has the right to a second or even a third opinion. No hospital can impose its report or treatment on the patient.”
Angmo accused the government of using health concerns as an excuse, and claimed that the manner in which Wangchuk was taken to hospital did not reflect an attempt to ensure his safety.
She added: “If the government had really brought him here for his health, it would have acted transparently, with the family’s consent and appropriate medical advice. Instead, uniformed police arrived and forcefully took him away.”
“30-40 policemen outside his room.”
Angmo further claimed that Wangchuk was effectively being held under restraints despite not being formally detained.
“The judge said today that he is not detained. But the way he is treated here is that between 30 and 40 police personnel are roaming the eighth floor. We are asked to leave our bags outside, our phones are not allowed, and even Sonam’s Samsung tablet, which he needs for work, has not been given to him,” she said.
Describing it as a larger issue of civil liberties, Angmo said every citizen has the right to choose his doctor, hospital and treatment, and that government intervention in such matters should be based on transparency and consent and not force.
Wangchuk was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in the early hours of Saturday after police took him away from Jantar Mantar, where he has been on a hunger strike since June 28, in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at the venue over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.
The CJP described the police action as forced deportation, while authorities maintained that it was carried out on medical advice and following the directions of the Delhi High Court.
(With inputs from agencies)
