New Delhi: Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health condition has entered a critical stage due to his prolonged fast and the next phase could be alarming and his organs could get affected, doctors warned on Thursday as appeals came in from several quarters to call off his hunger strike.
Wangchuk, however, remained resolute, saying calling off his fast without any response from the government would send the wrong message. Instead, he urged people to strengthen the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) proposed Parliament march on July 20.
He also insisted that he can continue for many more days.
With the matter reaching the Delhi High Court, which was hearing a PIL raising concern over his health, the bench directed authorities for daily monitoring and to extend medical aid if his condition deteriorates.
“We observe that the life of any citizen is precious and all medical efforts ought to be made by government authorities to save the same,” the court said.
Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre as well as the Delhi government, submitted that life of every individual was precious and there was no objection to undertaking Wangchuk’s regular medical checkup.
According to the latest medical bulletin issued by Dr Satish Lamba, Wangchuk has lost more than nine kg since beginning his hunger strike on June 28. He now weighs 56.9 kg.
Lamba warned that Wangchuk has entered a critical stage of prolonged fast.
“After glucose reserves are exhausted, the body consumes fat. After that, muscles begin to get consumed. His ketone level had reached 3-plus and, after improving hydration, it has come down to 2-plus. His uric acid is high, which indicates that muscles are being consumed,” he said.
“The next stage can be alarming. Organs can be impacted. We are keeping him under 24×7 vigilance and hope it does not reach that stage. I urge the government to intervene as soon as possible because he is a precious gem and we do not want to lose him. If organs get impacted, it can be really alarming for us,” Lamba said.
The health update came hours after Wangchuk, in a video message released late on Wednesday night, ruled out ending his fast despite appeals from political leaders and supporters.
The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. Wangchuk joined the protest 19 days ago.
Some AISA student leaders are also on indefinite hunger strike in support of Wangchuk. The AISA said its members Neha, Manish and Aameen were resting as their condition deteriorated, adding that their random blood sugar (RBS) levels had dropped below the critical level of 60 mg/dL.
Support for the agitation continued to pour in with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah calling out the Centre for not approaching Wangchuk. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal met the activist at Jantar Mantar and expressed solidarity with his protest.
“Every year, exam papers get leaked and youth pay the price. I appeal to the government to listen to the students and Wangchuk,” the former Delhi chief minister said.
He urged Pradhan to step down, and suggested Wangchuk be made the country’s education minister.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait among others also visited Wangchuk and expressed solidarity with the protesters.
The Congress also appealed to Wangchuk to end his hunger strike and asserted that “his concerns are our concerns” and it will continue to demand Pradhan’s resignation.
“We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels, especially due to the lack of accountability within the Modi Govt – for the collapse of the examination system in particular,” Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said in a post on X.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, saying the country needed him to remain “alive, active and engaged” rather than risk his health and life for a system in distress. SCBA president Vikas Singh also visited Jantar Mantar to meet Wangchuk and handed over a letter, urging him to end his fast.
Music composer Vishal Dadlani, actors Sonakshi Sinha, Sayaji Shinde and Atul Kulkarni, comedian Vir Das, author Shobhaa De, MNS chief Raj Thackeray and former Congress MP Priya Dutt also appealed to the government to engage with Wangchuk and expressed concern over his deteriorating health.
Economists Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera visited the students at the protest site and expressed solidarity with them.
In his video message, Wangchuk sought to allay concerns over his health, saying medical examinations conducted so far had not indicated any immediate danger.
“My condition is not such that I will die in two-four days. Many medical tests have been conducted and the results are quite normal for an 18-day fast. An ECG was also done and it is not bad. I can continue for many more days. Yes, there is weakness and my muscles are getting weak, but my heart and core are still fine,” he said.
Wangchuk said students should treat it as “a real lesson in political science and democracy”.
He also appealed to people to register for the march through the campaign’s website or missed-call initiative.
The CJP said around 1.5 lakh people had so far confirmed their participation in the July 20 Parliament march.b
