Dr. Gitanjali Angmo has petitioned the Delhi High Court to move her husband, social activist Sonam Wangchuk, to a private hospital.
The legal challenge highlights a growing conflict between government health interventions and the rights of political protesters in India. If the court finds the hospitalization was a pretext for detention, it could set a precedent regarding the use of medical facilities to disrupt civil disobedience.
Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital following police action at a protest site. Authorities said the move was a medical necessity due to a sudden drop in potassium levels. According to medical reports, Wangchuk's potassium level was 4.3 [1] on Friday evening and fell to 2.9 [1] by Saturday morning.
Dr. Angmo disputed these claims, saying that the hospital shift was intended to stop Wangchuk's planned march to Parliament on July 20 [2]. She said the transfer was not based on medical necessity but was a bid to end his fast forcibly.
"Hospital turned into prison," Angmo said.
She further questioned the transparency of the medical emergency, noting that if authorities were genuinely concerned, they could have informed the family. The activist's wife has expressed a loss of faith in the current process and sought the court's intervention to ensure her husband receives care in a private facility where he is not under state control.
Following the dismissal of the plea to shift the activist, Angmo continued to challenge the ethics of the treatment. She said, "No hospital can force its treatment on patient."
Wangchuk has described his stay at the government facility as an illegal detention. The situation remains tense as the planned date for the Parliament march passes while he remains under medical supervision.
“"Hospital turned into prison,"”
This dispute underscores the tension between state-mandated medical care and the autonomy of activists on hunger strikes. By framing a medical emergency—specifically a potassium drop—as a tool for political containment, the case brings into question whether public health infrastructure is being leveraged to neutralize dissent during high-profile protests.
