Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, on a hunger strike at L-G office, hospitalised, says Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who has been on an indefinite fast since last Monday, was rushed to Lok Nayak hospital in the afternoon after he complained of pain in his abdomen.

Doctors said the pain was caused by high levels of ketone, a compound that is produced to burn fat to produce energy when carbohydrates (normal food) are not consumed.

Sisodia has been admitted to the hospital’s ICU and is on a bed next to Delhi’s health minister Satyendar Jain, who had also been fasting and had to be rushed to the hospital on Sunday night.

“Satyendar Jain had been admitted with a ketone level of 7 and Manish Sisodia with a 7.4,” said Dr J C Passey, medical director of Lok Nayak hospital, warning that these were “very high and the ministers should end their fast”.

The normal range of ketones in the body is between 0.6 and 1.5 mmol/L. A person with ketone levels between 1.5 and 3 mmol/L risks ketoacidosis (extreme and uncontrolled production of ketones) and serious complications that can be fatal too.

Both the ministers will remain in the intensive care unit and will be monitored closely by a team of doctors until their ketone levels come down.

The ministers were on strike with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at the office of the Lieutenant General Anil Baijal, demanding the return of IAS officers boycotting state government work.

However, questioning their strike, the Delhi high court on Monday asked the AAP-led Delhi government who authorised the sit-in at the L-G’s office and observed that it was not a place to protest.

“You are sitting inside the L-G’s office. If it’s a strike, it has to be outside the office,” said a bench comprising Justice A K Chawla and Justice Navin Chawla, according to news agency PTI.

IAS officers have said they are not on strike and that there was an atmosphere of “fear” and “mistrust” in the bureaucracy in the national capital.

AAP leaders accompanied by thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Sunday in support of their ministers’ protest.

Satyendar Jain had been taken to Lok Nayak hospital at 11:50 pm on Sunday.

“His condition had deteriorated suddenly. He had headaches, nausea, pain in the abdomen, trouble breathing and urine retention,” said Dr Passey.

These are all symptoms of extreme hunger, he said, and the next organ system to be affected is usually the heart.

“He was admitted to the ICU and after some investigations, the team of doctors decided to conservatively manage his symptoms. He had to be kept on oxygen for the entire night,” said Dr Passey.

Jain’s urine output improved by 02:30 am and he could be weaned off the oxygen support in the morning.

“He will be kept under observation at least for another day in the ICU. All his parameters need to stabilise and for that constant monitoring is needed,” said Dr Passey.