'If I die of stress...': Wangchuk alleges harassment at Safdarjung; the hospital denies this, saying the video is "allegedly recorded"

Climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk shared a video on YouTube on Friday, a day after ending his 26-day hunger strike, in which he reflected on the events of the past few days and included footage of him leaving Safdarjung Hospital after the Delhi High Court allowed his transfer to Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital.

In the video, Wangchuk is seen getting into a confrontation with a security guard at Safdarjung Hospital and claims he was prevented from leaving the premises, news agency PTI reported on Saturday.

Read also | CJP Protest LIVE: CJP issues nationwide call for candlelight march on July 26

Safdarjung Hospital issued a clarification

Following his allegations, Safdarjung Hospital said the video was shot before its administration received a written order from the Supreme Court. In response to the video, Safdarjung officials said it was “allegedly recorded” by Wangchuk’s aides at the hospital on July 21 in a designated video-free zone and was only released on Friday.

The hospital further said: “The video was allegedly shot before the hospital administration received the written order from the Supreme Court. At that time, based on information available in the media, Mr. Wangchuk insisted on leaving the hospital.”

“It is pertinent to note that Mr. Wangchuk was handed over to a team of doctors from Medanta Gurugram on the same day at 6.40 pm immediately after the hospital received the written order,” the statement added.

Wangchuk’s allegations against Safdarjung Hospital

In the video, he criticized those who questioned his decision to end the hunger strike, adding that people were unaware of the circumstances he faced after being moved from the protest site.

He alleged that he was treated “like a prisoner” after he was taken to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18. According to him, he was not allowed to move freely, meet visitors, keep his mobile phone or laptop.

Narrating the episode, Wangchuk said, “It was like being in North Korea” and claimed that even though the Delhi High Court approved his transfer to Medanta Hospital, officials at Safdarjung Hospital prevented him from leaving for several hours.

Read also | Wangchuk says ‘we won’t agree with Centre’, calls off strike fearing Ladakh-like crackdown

Wangchuk ended his hunger strike

Sonam Wangchuk, who was on hunger strike in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) since June 28, ended her strike on Thursday evening in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

After he ended his hunger strike, Wangchuk was criticized by critics for his decision, claiming that he had signed a contract with the Centre. In a video released late Friday night, the activist also clarified the reason for ending the hunger strike.

He said: “After 26 days of fasting for students, losing 11 kilograms of body weight, losing muscle as well and my organs and brain reaching the brink of irreversible damage, all in the sweltering heat of Delhi after coming from a harsh winter in Ladakh, I have to seek a character endorsement from someone about how I broke it or not?”

Wangchuk continued: “Shame on the country that produces such minds that give rise to such vile thoughts. I’m not blaming anyone because most of you have no knowledge of the circumstances that I’ve been through, what my family has been through in the last week or two… So before you listen to someone, make sure you look at their background. Do they have a grudge? Are they from another political party that has a grudge, are they strictly neutral, or are they neutral? To them…”

The video represents Wangchuk’s first detailed public response to criticism since his 26-day hunger strike ended.