Sonam Wangchuk alleges harassment at Safdarjung Hospital; authorities clarify

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has alleged that he was harassed and prevented from leaving Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital before he was shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. The hospital, however, said the video in which Wangchuk made the allegations was recorded before it received the Delhi High Court’s written order allowing his transfer.

Wangchuk shared the video on YouTube late Friday, showing an altercation with a security personnel at Safdarjung Hospital. In the clip, he can be heard asking authorities to either arrest him or let him leave, and alleging that he was being harassed.

Safdarjung Hospital authorities said the video was “purportedly recorded” by Wangchuk’s aides on July 21 in a designated no-videography zone. They said Wangchuk had insisted on leaving the hospital based on information available in the media, as the administration had not yet received the court’s written order.

According to the hospital, Wangchuk was handed over to a team of doctors from Medanta Hospital at 6:40 pm on the same day after the written court order was received.

Wangchuk was taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 after being shifted from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest site at Jantar Mantar, where he had been on a hunger strike since June 28. He was later shifted to Medanta Hospital following the Delhi High Court’s direction.

The activist ended his 26-day hunger strike on Thursday night in the presence of his wife Gitanjali Angmo and Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh. He said he called off the fast after receiving assurances from the government and MPs across parties on his demands for examination reforms and protection of peaceful protesters.