New Delhi, 16 July—An insensitive regime has failed to break the steely resolve of Climate change activist Sonum Wangchuk who is determined to continue his indefinite hunger strike in the face of warning from medical doctors warning his that his prolonged fast are likely to damage his organs.
Wangchuk has lost more than nine kg after 19 days of his indefinite hunger strike, with doctors warning that he has entered a critical stage of prolonged fasting and that continued deterioration could begin affecting his organs.
The health update came today as the Delhi High Court ordered daily medical monitoring, Wangchuk reiterated that he would not end his fast without a response from the government, and support for his protest continued to grow.
According to the latest medical bulletin issued by Dr Satish Lamba, Wangchuk has lost more than nine kg since beginning his hunger strike. His blood sugar was recorded at 80 mg/dL, pulse rate at 72 per minute, while his blood pressure was 105/61 mmHg in the lying position and 101/65 mmHg while sitting. Doctors said his hydration was fair and he remained mentally alert.
Lamba, however, warned that Wangchuk has entered a critical stage of prolonged fasting.
“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.
Hours after the medical update, the Delhi High Court directed authorities to monitor Wangchuk’s health on a daily basis and provide medical intervention whenever required, observing that “life of any citizen is precious”. The Centre and the Delhi government told the court they had no objection to regular medical monitoring.
Meanwhile, Wanghuk has ruled out ending his fast despite appeals from political leaders, supporters and members of the film fraternity, saying breaking it without any response from the government would send the wrong message. Instead, he urged people to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed “Chalo Sansad” march on July 20.
“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,” Wangchuk said.
He urged supporters to participate in large numbers in the proposed Parliament march instead of appealing to him to end the fast, saying 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.
Support for Wangchuk’s agitation continued to grow, with farmer leader Rakesh Tikait announcing that he would visit the activist at Jantar Mantar on Thursday evening, alleging that despite Wangchuk remaining on an indefinite fast for 19 days, the government was showing little seriousness towards his condition. Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also scheduled to visit the protest site later in the day.
Music composer Vishal Dadlani, actor Sayaji Shinde and author Shobhaa De appealed to the government to engage in dialogue with Wangchuk and expressed concern over his deteriorating health.
Expressing solidarity from the US, Dadlani said that while he could not join the protest in person, his “heart is with” the students and Wangchuk.
“They are not demanding a regime change. This is about the rights of students. My request to the government is to listen to their demands,” he said.
Actor Atul Kulkarni also announced that he would observe a day-long fast at his home on Thursday in solidarity with Wangchuk and fellow protesters.
“I will go on a hunger strike on June 16. There are two reasons for this — I want to connect with the pain that Sonam Wangchuk ji and his companions are going through and an appeal to our government to express their sensitivity. Sonam ji and his companions believe that there are some serious and painful reasons and for that they have certain demands. It is clear that our government believes that those demands are not justified,” Kulkarni said on Instagram.
The actor urged people to observe a one-day fast in support of Wangchuk’s campaign.
Among those from the film fraternity who have extended support to Wangchuk are Omy Vaidya, Zeenat Aman, Soni Razdan, Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Deol, many of whom have also urged him to end his fast.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
