'Felt Like Being In North Korea': Sonam Wangchuk On Treatment At Delhi Hospital

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has alleged that after he was "forcibly" taken to state-run Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, he was treated "like a prisoner". The 59-year-old, who began his hunger strike on June 28 at Delhi's Jantar Mantar supporting the satirical political group, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was whisked away by the police on the morning of July 18, citing medical advice and Delhi High Court directions."It wasn't just a hospital; it was a cantonment, it was a prison. I was kept in a way that perhaps even a prisoner wouldn't be kept," he said in a YouTube video posted late Friday night."There were restrictions on everything. I couldn't step out of the room. Not even a bird could flutter its wings near our room. There was no permission to meet anyone. Only three relatives were allowed to stay," he explained in a 24-minute video recorded from his hospital bed in Gurugram, where he was shifted on Tuesday after the Delhi High Court's permission.The Ladakhi activist also claimed that he was not allowed to keep a mobile phone or laptop.Wangchuk said he would somehow write notes on paper napkins for his supporters."But even those were sometimes confiscated," he said."It was like being in North Korea," he said.Message from Sonam :20th JULYआज़ादी का दूसरा आन्दोलनभय मुक्त भारत, अन्याय मुक्त भारतFreedom from injustice (Like paper leaks)Freedom from Fear (my illegal detention)India's 2nd FREEDOM MOVEMENTMarch to the ParliamentPlease make it a big successSent through... pic.twitter.com/XYeUXgUxJH - Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) July 19, 2026WHEN WILL I END THE FAST....!Not withstanding my health my fast continues till after the Sansad Chalo March, and will be broken only under the following circumstances... pic.twitter.com/kaOGx2Nk4T - Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) July 20, 2026Wangchuk also alleged that even after the Delhi High Court permitted him to shift to Medanta, he was allegedly prevented from leaving Safdarjung Hospital for several hours.He said that even Medanta, a private hospital, had turned into a "cantonment".He claimed that about five or ten police personnel were stationed outside his room, while "two to three hundred personnel" were downstairs."The entire hospital had been turned into a sort of cantonment, a military camp. No one was allowed to meet me here either. There were restrictions on going out. It is still happening," he said.His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, also posted a picture on X this morning, claiming "police are everywhere"."At both Safdarjung and now Medanta, police are everywhere. At the main gate. The reception. The lifts. Outside Sonam Wangchuk's ICU. They decide who may or may not meet him. If the Court has clarified that he is not under detention, then under what authority is this happening?" she wrote.Sonam Wangchuk had been on an indefinite fast since June 28 in solidarity with the members of the CJP, who have converged at the Jantar Mantar, demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.He broke his fast shortly after midnight on Thursday after the Centre gave a written assurance that it wouldn't register cases against protesters who took part in the CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march on Monday, would hold a detailed discussion in Parliament on examination reforms and paper leaks, and was considering compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the NEET paper leak.