NEW DELHI: Activist Sonam Wangchuk continues his indefinite hunger strike despite being shifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, his wife Gitanjali J Angmo told reporters on Saturday.“He is still fasting; the fast is continuing because he isn’t consuming any sugar or electrolytes. He is only taking the water with salt that he was consuming earlier,” Angmo said.She also disputed the circumstances surrounding Wangchuk’s hospitalisation, saying the Delhi high court had directed only that his health be monitored regularly and had not ordered that he be admitted to a hospital.“Regarding the high court order, the order never mandated hospitalisation. It simply stated that an individual’s health is paramount and must be monitored at regular intervals; it did not order hospitalisation. So, this is not in accordance with the High Court order,” she said.According to Angmo, no treatment has begun and only observation and medical tests are currently being conducted.She said the family planned to have Wangchuk’s tests repeated at an external laboratory as they wanted to verify the hospital’s findings before any medication was administered.“Since they aren’t providing the reports we requested, and regarding the figures they are citing, like the potassium level reaching 2.9, which was 4.3 yesterday, so it couldn’t have changed to that today. We want to cross-check this with another lab before administering any medication,” she said.Angmo added that Wangchuk was weak and had lost muscle mass because of the prolonged fast but remained alert.“He is definitely weak and losing muscle mass—which happens during any fast, but he is alert and very strong,” she said, while adding that the family would handle his treatment without government intervention.Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday, the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike, after Delhi Police said the move was made following expert medical advice and in compliance with directions of the Delhi high court due to his deteriorating health.Earlier, Angmo had said no medicine should be administered to Wangchuk without the consent of his family and the doctors who had been monitoring his health over the past 20 days.The Delhi Police has maintained that Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital for “essential medical care” and said protesters tried to obstruct the exercise, though officers exercised restraint while carrying it out.Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 in support of the CJP-led protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and the reported deaths of students linked to the controversy.The Delhi high court has been monitoring his health and directed that his condition be assessed regularly and appropriate medical intervention be provided if required.
