'Felt Like North Korea': Sonam Wangchuk Says He Was Treated Like 'Prisoner' In Safdarjung Hospital

Published 25 July 2026 · local

'Felt Like North Korea': Sonam Wangchuk Says He Was Treated Like 'Prisoner' In Safdarjung Hospital Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 12:01 IST Wangchuk

'Felt Like North Korea': Sonam Wangchuk Says He Was Treated Like 'Prisoner' In Safdarjung Hospital Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 12:01 IST Wangchuk said he was treated like a prisoner at the Safdarjung Hospital and no one was allowed to meet him without police permission. Rapid Read Sonam Wangchuk released a video after ending his hunger strike. (PTI) Sonam Wangchuk, who began a 26-day hunger strike in support of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesting against the NEET-UG paper leak, said he was “treated like a prisoner" at the Safdarjung Hospital after he was taken away by police on July 18. Wangchuk, 59, was forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar during his hunger strike by Delhi Police, citing medical advice and orders from the Delhi High Court. After ending his strike on Friday, Wangchuk posted a 24-minute video explaining his stand. “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. I was not even allowed to step outside. No one could reach my room, not even a bird could fly near it," he said in the video.

“I was not permitted to meet anyone. Only security personnel were allowed. No relatives could visit me. I was not allowed to keep a mobile phone or a laptop, and I had no means of sending any messages. The only way I could communicate was by writing notes on pieces of paper, and even that was extremely difficult and happened only occasionally." Wangchuk further said his relatives and friends travelling from London were prevented from meeting him in the hospital. “All of this was illegal. It felt like being in North Korea. The place where I was kept felt no different from a prison," he said. ‘Arrest Me If You Want’ After the Delhi High Court granted permission for Wangchuk to be moved to a private hospital, the activist said he was still not allowed to leave the hospital premises. “The officials claimed they had not yet received the court order. Although the order may have been issued around 2 pm, it was allegedly withheld until about 7 pm so that I would not be able to leave. I do not know what their intentions were," he said, posting a video that showed him in a heated altercation with the staff of the Safdarjung Hospital.

In the video, a visibly agitated Wangchuk can be heard questioning the decision to keep him at the hospital and accusing the authorities of harassing him. This is the video from Safdarjung hospital in Delhi where Sonam Wangchuk was under medical observation. After the high court order, he was leaving for Medanta when Safdarjung hospital staff tried to stop him on July 21.Right wing narrative: Look he is so fit. Walking around… pic.twitter.com/V9qWdXzr3J — Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) July 25, 2026 “I was made to wait for about three more hours while my belongings were packed. To get out, I had to physically resist. I staged a sit-in protest by lying down on the ground. After considerable pushing, arguing, and confrontation, I was finally allowed to leave," he explained in the video. Wangchuk ended his fast late on Thursday after the government assured him that it would not initiate legal action against peaceful protesters, would hold discussions in Parliament on examination reforms, and was positively considering compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the alleged NEET paper leak. However, the Safdarjung Hospital clarified that the video was purportedly recorded by Wangchuk’s aides before the Hospital Administration received the written order of the High Court.