Hospital must not function as an extension of law enforcement: Safdarjung Resident Hospital doctors
Members of the police stand guard outside Safdarjung Hospital, where authorities arrested hunger striker Sonam Wangchuk, July 18, 2026, during a protest demanding the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in New Delhi on July 19, 2026. | Photo credit: Reuters
A group of local doctors at the government-run Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) expressed concern over the continued hospitalization of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on a protest fast, and called for presidential intervention in the case.
“Hospitals are medical institutions and must not be seen as places of detention except where such restriction is expressly permitted by law and carried out in accordance with due process,” the Association of Resident Doctors, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital said in a letter to India’s President Droupadi Murmu.
The group said there can be no compromise on patient autonomy, medical ethics, institutional independence and the functioning of public health institutions.
Patient rights
Mr Wangchuk was forcibly removed from the Jantar Mantar protest site by the police on Saturday morning (July 18, 2026) and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, where access to him was restricted. On Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the Delhi High Court allowed his wife’s appeal to transfer him to Medanta Private Hospital.
In their letter, the residents of Safdarjung say that while Mr Wangchuk’s medical condition and the need for his continued hospitalization remain a matter of independent clinical judgement, every individual admitted to the hospital has the first and foremost right to be treated as a patient – with dignity, compassion and in accordance with established medical ethics and the Constitution of India.
“Any restrictions on a patient’s freedom must be applied strictly in accordance with the law, remain reasonable and transparent, and must not jeopardize the patient’s rights, the professional independence of the attending physicians or the operation of the hospital,” they said.
“No extension of law enforcement”
The group added that restricted access to hospital premises, the sealing off of parts of the hospital, the deployment of large security personnel on multiple floors and the curtailment of routine hospital operations have caused widespread concern. If such measures would disrupt patient care, deny access to health services or create an environment in which the hospital appears to function more as an extension of law enforcement than as a place of treatment, the matter warrants an independent investigation, the doctors said.
Doctors have asked the president to intervene to allow Mr Wangchuk to exercise his option to leave on medical advice, saying government hospitals, medical staff and medical services must not be treated in a way that creates the impression that they are being used to facilitate non-medical goals.
Put the doctor at risk
“Incidents of this nature erode public trust in doctors and expose health workers to an even greater risk of hostility and violence despite having no role in administrative or political decisions,” the Safdarjung doctors said, adding that hospital administrations must remain independent stewards of medical ethics and patient care.
Local doctors from All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Maharashtra also expressed their anguish over the police crackdown on students, doctors, youth and other protesters on Monday (July 20, 2026) in which several protesters were injured and hospitalised.
Published – 21 Jul 2026 21:41 IST