Sonam Wangchuk’s health: Why wife seeks his transfer from Safdarjung hospital after police action at protest site | 10 Updates | Today’s news
Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, approached the medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi on Saturday and said the activist must be shifted to a medical center of their choice, citing “the lack of transparency has shaken their confidence,” according to her letter to the hospital. This happened after today’s police action at Jantar Mantar.
Sonam Wangchuk Hospitalization: 10 Updates
- Activist Sonam Wangchuk is “absolutely fine”, his wife Angmo said.
2. Angmo mentioned that doctors informed the family that Wangchuk’s potassium level had dropped to 2.9 from 4.3 a day earlier, but claimed that Safdarjung Hospital refused to provide copies of his medical reports despite repeated requests,
“Yesterday Safdarjung doctors checked him and all vitals were fine. Potassium was 4.3. Now they say potassium is 2.9 and it is life threatening. But when we asked for the report, they show us the report but don’t give it. I have trust issues because of the lack of transparency,” she said.
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Gitanjali J. Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife, expressed a lack of confidence in Safdarjung Hospital due to the perceived lack of transparency in his medical care and requested that he be transferred to a medical center of their choice.
Doctors reported that Sonam Wangchuk’s potassium level had dropped dangerously low to 2.9, leading to life-threatening concerns, despite previously normal vital signs.
The Delhi Police said they acted on the directions of the Supreme Court and the Medical Council due to Wangchuk’s deteriorating health and ensured that he received basic medical care.
Protesters condemned the police action as illegal and an attack on democracy, saying Wangchuk was stable and should not have been forcibly taken away from the protest site.
Angmo insisted that no treatment, whether oral or intravenous, should be administered to Wangchuk without the consent of his family and previous medical team, reflecting concerns about transparency.
Read also | Viral Video: Sonam Wangchuk ‘Forcibly’ Picked Up; the wife issues a statement
3. Angmo told the hospital not to give her husband any oral or intravenous treatment without the approval of his family and the medical team that monitored his health throughout his 20-day hunger strike.
4. Angmo also questioned the deployment of police outside the hospital and objected to the restriction on carrying mobile phones inside, saying the atmosphere made them feel as if they were in a “prison”.
5. In a post on X, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi, said that Sonam Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on the directions of the Delhi High Court and on the advice of doctors after his condition deteriorated.
“As per order of Hon’ble High Court and based on expert medical advice due to deteriorating health condition of Sh. Sonam Wangchuk he was shifted to hospital for necessary medical treatment. Though the protestors followed the orders of Hon’ble High Court, they tried to create a roadblock in which there was a slight ruckus, however the police exercised utmost restraint and conducted the exercise safely,” the DCP said.
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6. Cockroach Janta Party Chief Spokesperson CJP Saurav Das called it a “TOTALLY Illegal Action” by the Delhi Police, saying “Nowhere in the Supreme Court order does it mention that Sonam ji should be forcibly taken away by the police, wrapped in a white sheet like a dead body. It is clear that the health-threatening condition can only be given on medical advice, which is life-threatening.”
He added, “All of Sonam ji’s vital signs were normal until yesterday. No doctor checked him at 7am today when the police illegally detained him. So on what ‘medical advice’ do the police claim to have done what they did? The only answer is that the government is shaken by the success of this movement, the July 20 march and the outpouring of support for Sonam ji.”
“The Delhi Police must IMMEDIATELY release Sonam ji, allow his family and lawyers to meet him and reveal whether they arrested Sonam ji and if so, on what legal basis,” Das further said.
Read also | Sonam Wangchuk hospitalised: A detailed account of the chaos at the CJP protest
7. Angmo stated that the planned march to Parliament would go ahead as planned and Wangchuk would attend.
8. Dr Satish Lamba, who has been monitoring Sonam Wangchuk’s health throughout his hunger strike, said he was not allowed to meet the activist since he was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, according to PTI.
9. Referring to the CJP protest, Angmo said Wangchuk joined the movement because he believed its demands were legitimate and that it had arisen organically. She called the protest an example of how Gen Z can organize and demonstrate peacefully.
10. She also argued that the dispute points to a deeper institutional crisis. “The NEET leak was just a symptom. This system is totally broken. It’s not just about paper leaks, it’s about awakening of conscience. Citizens must demand good education,” she said, adding that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan “should resign himself”.
