NEW DELHI: Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, on Sunday said she would lead the proposed ‘Chalo Sansad’ march to Parliament in the activist’s absence, hours after the Delhi High Court declined to grant interim relief on her plea seeking his transfer from Safdarjung Hospital to a private medical facility.Addressing reporters, Angmo said Wangchuk remained determined to continue his indefinite hunger strike despite being admitted to the hospital.“I will definitely represent him (in tomorrow’s protest). We filed an urgent petition today because, had we been allowed to shift today, we could have gone to Medanta and then arrived at the protest site by tomorrow morning. But we knew they wouldn’t allow that. I am ready to represent Sonam Wangchuk, and I will definitely join the march tomorrow,” she said.Appealing for calm ahead of Monday’s march, Angmo urged students and parents participating in the protest to ensure that it remains peaceful.“To all the students and parents coming to join the march tomorrow, I would say: keep two things in mind. First, let us conduct this march in a completely peaceful manner. Second, remain vigilant against nefarious elements who might try to disrupt it; let us stay alert and avoid falling into their traps. Attempts might be made to incite trouble or give the event a different complexion,” she said.She added that Wangchuk intended to continue his fast in the same manner as before his hospitalisation.“Sonam wanted to continue the fast exactly as he had been observing it previously. He intends to continue the fast he has been maintaining. They have been urging him to consume fluids, but he refused, although he is drinking water,” Angmo said.Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief on Angmo’s plea challenging Wangchuk’s continued stay at Safdarjung Hospital.Justice Mini Pushkarna observed that the material placed before the court did not suggest that Wangchuk was being illegally confined. The court noted that his wife, brother and other family members had been given unrestricted access to him and were also provided a separate room at the hospital.Angmo had approached the court alleging that Wangchuk had been forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar, where he had been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.The matter will next be heard on July 24.(With ANI inputs)
