New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, said on Sunday that Wangchuk will end his hunger strike if “political leaders meet him at Safdarjung Hospital” and assure him that they will raise the “issue of education accountability” during the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting from Monday.
Angmo said Wangchuk’s decision to end the fast depends on an assurance from political leaders that education accountability will be made a key issue during the Parliament session.
“Sonam will end his hunger strike tomorrow if political leaders meet him at Safdarjung hospital and assure him that they will raise the issue of education accountability in this Parliament session, and the main issue of this session will be education accountability and reforms…” she said.
She added, “However, if that accountability is not secured through Parliament, he will continue his fast. Even after staying two days in the hospital, he did not break his hunger strike.”
Earlier in the day, Angmo said she would lead Monday’s protest to Parliament in his place, adding that the activist remains committed to continuing his indefinite hunger strike as he had been observing it previously.
Her announcement came after the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief on Angmo’s plea seeking Wangchuk’s transfer from Safdarjung Hospital to a private 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 told reporters.
“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 further said, adding that “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
Gitanjali Angmo had approached the Delhi High Court challenging Wangchuk’s continued stay at Safdarjung Hospital, alleging that he had been forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar while on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak, and was being kept in the hospital without his consent.
Justice Mini Pushkarna held that the material placed before the Court did not indicate that Wangchuk was being illegally confined. The Court noted that his wife, brother and other family members have been granted unrestricted access to him and have also been provided a separate room to stay at the hospital.
The next hearing will be on July 24. (ANI)
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