'Govt afraid of Sonam Wangchuk's march': Wife Angmo says Centre's health concerns are 'charade'

Soon after the Delhi High Court rejected the plea for shifting climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital to a private facility, his wife, Dr. Gitanjali J Angmo, alleged that the Centre's justification for shifting him to the government hospital was a "charade", claiming the move was aimed at preventing his proposed march rather than addressing any medical emergency.

Angmo alleged that the government's stated concern over Wangchuk's health was merely a pretext. "This whole narrative about health concerns is nothing but a charade. They were simply afraid that if Sonam set out on his march, hundreds of thousands of people would join him—not just in Delhi, but across the entire country—and they were trying to prevent that," she said.

The remarks comes ahead of Wangchuk's proposed "Chalo Sansad" march to Parliament on July 20, which he has described as India's "second freedom movement". In a message shared through his wife Angmo, the march was schedued to take place from VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, where he was under police watch.


Also read: Delhi HC rejects plea seeking transfer of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Safdarjung hospital



The climate activist called on citizens to participate in large numbers, invoking the slogan, "Aazaadi ka doosra andolan, bhay mukt Bharat, anyay mukt Bharat" (India's second freedom movement — an India free from fear and injustice). He linked the campaign to issues such as examination paper leaks and what he termed his "illegal detention" at the hospital, urging supporters to "please make it a big success."

Speaking to reporters after the court proceedings, Angmo said Wangchuk's health had not deteriorated before he was taken from the protest site. Referring to medical reports from the previous evening, she said his potassium level was 4.3 and that all other health parameters were within the normal range.

"They said they brought him in because they were deeply concerned about his health as it was declining. But these claims are incorrect. If you look at the reports from the evening prior, everything was absolutely normal," she said.

Questioning the manner in which Wangchuk was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, Angmo alleged that police personnel in plain clothes had forcibly taken him away on a stretcher instead of informing the family about any medical concerns.

"If you were truly concerned about his health, you could have simply conducted a medical examination and informed the family that a particular parameter required hospitalisation. That is how things should be handled in a democracy," she said.

She also reiterated the family's demand to shift Wangchuk to a private hospital of their choice, arguing that they had greater confidence in doctors selected by the family. Citing his latest medical readings, Angmo claimed that Wangchuk's blood pressure, which she said typically remained around 110/70, had increased to 125/85 due to the environment at the hospital. "We want to take him to doctors of our choice, where we feel comfortable," she said.