At Reception, Outside ICU: Why Do Police Decide Who Sonam Wangchuk Can Meet, Asks Wife
- Jul 25
- 2 min read
Despite the Delhi High Court's order, activist Sonam Wangchuk remained under strict surveillance of police officers. His wife, Gitanjali Angamo raised serious questions over his safety.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, July 25: Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who ended his 26-day hunger strike over the NEET-UG paper leak on Friday midnight, has claimed that her husband remains under constant police surveillance. Wangchuk is currently undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram after being shifted from Safdarjung Hospital on the orders of the Delhi High Court, which upheld his fundamental rights under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
"Police are everywhere," alleged Angmo, saying officers are stationed at the reception and outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where the activist is admitted. According to her, police officials also decide who is allowed to meet Wangchuk.
In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Gitanjali asked, "If the Court has clarified that he is not under detention, then under what authority is this happening?"
"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 every Indian should be asking," she added.
How Wangchuk End His Hunger Strike
Wangchuk was taken from the protest site at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 18 in a dramatic scene, with a white blanket covering him as police officials carried him away, citing the need for "essential medical care". Later, Gitanjali claimed that the staff at Safdarjung Hospital neither provided Wangchuk's medical reports nor allowed phones inside his room.
After a three-day legal battle in the Delhi High Court, Wangchuk was permitted to be shifted to the private hospital in Gurugram.
Meanwhile, Wangchuk continued his hunger strike and extended it by two more days in solidarity with the students who were allegedly subjected to police brutality during the peaceful march to Parliament on Sunday, July 20. He had said he would end the fast only after receiving written assurances from the Central government regarding the student protesters and a commitment to hold parliamentary discussions on reforms to prevent examination paper leaks.
Protest Continues
While Wangchuk is now recovering in hospital, the protest at Jantar Mantar continues, with representatives of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) maintaining that the agitation will end only after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
