New Delhi, Jul 25: Activist Sonam Wangchuk released a video on YouTube late Friday night, recounting his experience over the past few days and sharing a clip of what transpired as he was leaving the Safdarjung Hospital after the Delhi High Court allowed him to be shifted to the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.
However, the Safdarjung Hospital has said that the video was recorded before its administration received the written order of the high court.
Delhi Police on July 18 forcefully shifted Wangchuk to the Safdarjung Hospital from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest site at the Jantar Mantar, where he had been on a hunger strike since June 28 in support of the CJP’s demands for accountability for paper leaks and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, among others.
He was shifted to Medanta on July 21 following a Delhi High Court direction.
In the video, Wangchuk could be seen getting into a confrontation with a security person at the Safdarjung Hospital, alleging that he was being prevented from leaving the premises.
He can be heard saying that the authorities should either arrest him or allow him to leave.
“You are harassing me… If I die of stress, it will be your responsibility,” Wangchuk says in the video.
In another part of the clip, he can be heard saying, “Arrest me if you want, but I am leaving.”
Responding to the video, Safdarjung authorities said it was “purportedly recorded” by Wangchuk’s aides inside the hospital on July 21 in a designated no-videography zone and released only on Friday.
“The video was reportedly recorded before the hospital administration received the written order of the high court. At that time, Mr Wangchuk insisted on leaving the hospital based on information available in the media.
“It is pertinent to note that Mr Wangchuk was handed over to the team of doctors from Medanta Gurugram on the same day at 6:40 pm, immediately after the written order was received by the hospital,” they said.
Wangchuk ended his hunger strike late on Thursday night in the presence of his wife Gitanjali Angmo and Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.
The activist had said he decided to call off the fast after receiving assurances from the government and MPs across parties on his key demands for examination reforms and protection of the peaceful protesters.–(PTI)
