Advocate moves Delhi High Court, seeks directions to force-feed activist Sonam Wangchuk
With activist Sonam Wangchuk on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for 18 days now, a practising advocate has moved a PIL in the Delhi HIgh Court alleging that the government is treating him like a “terrorist” and seems to be “apathetic” to the situation.
The advocate has sought the court’s direction to the government to provide “full proper and necessary aids” to Wangchuk to stop his “deteriorating health and life-threatening conditions” and “force feed him”.
The PIL is due to be heard on Wednesday by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
The petitioner, advocate R K Saini, in his PIL, claimed the “government is treating him like he is a hardcore criminal, terrorist or traitor to the nation”, adding that the “government seems to be (apathetic) to the situation”.
Noting that the “least the government can do and is expected to do” is ensure the affected protestor is given immediate full, proper and necessary medical attention, “even if forcibly”, to ensure his good health and to save his life”.
“For this purpose, the simple thing to be done… is to take him to a government hospital and force feed him the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals, by way of a liquid diet which are necessary for a human body to survive,” Saini has said.
He added that there are precedents from past where such steps to force feed fasting protestors has been taken.
Wangchuk has been on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since June 28 as part of the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leak of NEET-UG exam paper.
In an interview with The Indian Express earlier this week, Wangchuk said the Prime Minister should be sensitive to students’ concerns, and called for the issue to be debated in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. “A resignation is merely the starting point,” he said.
