Scientist and activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmu, questioned the heavy police presence at the hospital where he was admitted, claiming that the authorities decide who he “may or may not meet.”
Angmo shared a photo from the hospital on Saturday showing several police officers standing in the lobby of Medanta Hospital in Gurugram where Wangchuk is currently admitted following the Delhi High Court order.
Delhi Police had earlier transferred him to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi amid his hunger strike in support of students demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. This fast was broken late Thursday night when Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh visited him in the hospital to convey the government’s decision to compromise on some of his demands.
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“Police everywhere”
In Angmo’s post, she questioned the heavy police presence at Medanta Hospital and said that “police are everywhere.”
“In both Safdarjung and now Medanta, police are everywhere. At the main gate. Reception. Lifts. Outside @Wangchuk66’s ICU. They decide who can meet him or not. If the court makes it clear that he is not in custody, by what authority does this happen?” I wondered.
She added: “In an enlightened democracy, is the role of the police to protect citizens and uphold the law, or to control citizens on behalf of those in power? These are questions that every Indian must ask.”
The official handle of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) also drew attention to Angmo’s post.
Angmo’s post comes after Wangchuk also shared a video late on Friday night questioning whether he still needed a “personal certificate” after 26 days on hunger strike, following allegations of a “deal” with the government.
In a 22-minute video posted on his YouTube account, Wangchuk alleged he was mistreated by police occupying Safdarjung Hospital and refusing to let him go after a Supreme Court order granted him permission to move to a private facility of his choice.
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A video clip showed Wangchuk trying to escape from Safdarjung Hospital, but policemen stationed on the hospital floor prevented him from leaving. The confrontation turned aggressive as Wangchuk lay on the ground, refusing to move from his place.
“Arrest me. Why are you forcing…people, this is torture. Now arrest me if you want, do you understand? Arrest me, arrest me. You can stop me anywhere, let the nation know how,” he can be heard saying angrily in the video taken and uploaded by one of his aides as policemen try to chase him down the hospital corridor.
“It’s my number everywhere. The world knows but you. The world knows,” he said, referring to the Delhi High Court order allowing his transfer to Medanta Hospital.
In his YouTube video, Wangchuk also addressed questions regarding why Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was dropped as well as how he broke his fast by saying he feared a violent government crackdown similar to the one seen in Ladakh during his recent hunger strike. He stressed that his priorities in this case were to ensure legal impunity for all students who protest peacefully.
Police and hospital authorities explain
Officials explained that the video was recorded at Safdarjung Hospital on July 21, the day the Supreme Court order was issued. “This is as of July 21, the day the court informed Sonam’s family that he could be shifted to Medanta Hospital,” an official said.
“He was trying to leave for Medanta Hospital, but he was not allowed, because we were waiting for the court orders to reach us first and then we stopped him,” the official explained, explaining that the reason behind the attempts to prevent Wangchuk’s exit.
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Safdarjung Hospital cited a similar reason when it stated that all preparations are in place to hand over Wangchuk to the medical team at Medanta Hospital once the Supreme Court order officially reaches them.
“The video was recorded before the hospital administration received a written order from the Supreme Court. At that time, Mr. Wangchuk insisted on leaving the hospital based on the information available in the media,” the hospital’s statement said, according to a PTI report.
“It is pertinent to note that Mr. Wangchuk was handed over to the team of doctors from Medanta Gurugram on the same day at 6:40 pm, immediately after the written order was received by the hospital.”
Currently, Wangchuk is undergoing recovery at Medanta Hospital. The CJP vowed to continue its protests across the country until Pradhan’s resignation. Party representatives are scheduled to hold another round of talks with Nadda and Singh in the afternoon. Follow live updates of the CJP protest here
