Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was admitted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his indefinite hunger strike, remains under close medical observation as doctors continue to counsel his family to allow treatment to begin.
Hospital sources said Wangchuk is suffering from dehydration, low potassium levels and rising ketone levels, which, if left untreated, could pose risks to kidney function and lead to other metabolic complications.
His wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, alleged a lack of transparency in his medical care, claiming the hospital reported his potassium level at 2.9 despite it being 4.3 a day earlier.
In a post on X, she said the hospital had refused requests for a second opinion or to provide his blood sample for independent testing. "This lack of transparency is making us suspicious, and we have asked to be discharged immediately so that we can go to a hospital that we are comfortable with," she said.
Hospital authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.
Meanwhile, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke announced an indefinite hunger strike following Wangchuk's hospitalisation. Later in the day, a woman hurled ink at Dipke while he was addressing supporters. Police detained the woman, though her identity and motive were not immediately known.
Dipke also alleged that Delhi Police assaulted and detained him and prevented him from entering the Jantar Mantar protest site. He called for a peaceful nationwide strike against the police action. Delhi Police has urged protesters to vacate the protest site, where security has been heightened following Wangchuk's hospitalisation.
Separately, two people were arrested in Guwahati on Friday night for defacing public property while painting a mural of Wangchuk. Police said an FIR has also been registered over another large mural painted on a flyover pillar earlier this week, and efforts are underway to identify those involved.
Officials said painting on public infrastructure without permission amounted to damage to public property and warned of strict action against similar incidents. The murals, bearing the message "Save Sonam Wangchuk", appeared amid nationwide attention on the activist's hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in the NEET examination.