Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has hit back at critics questioning his decision to end his 26-day hunger strike, saying he was effectively held in "jail"
inside Safdarjung hospital in Delhi and had no freedom to communicate with supporters. In a 24-minute video recorded from his hospital bed, Wangchuk described the conditions after he was shifted to the ICU, comparing them to living in "North Korea." "It was not a hospital, I was in jail. I could not step out of my room. I was not allowed to meet anyone except three relatives. No mobile phones or laptops were allowed. I would write my messages on napkins. Even my friends from Ladakh were not allowed inside. Our country turned into North Korea, especially the hospital I was inside," Wangchuk alleged. Responding to criticism over dropping his insistence on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Wangchuk said securing the minister's exit was never his primary objective. Wangchuk argued that the government was already paying a heavy political price by refusing to act. "I don't consider it essential for me to personally bring about this resignation," he said. According to him, he raised Pradhan's resignation during negotiations with Union ministers, but they sought more time and were unwilling to make an immediate commitment. "They wanted more time, saying they couldn't commit just yet," he said.
Wangchuk said he was confident the resignation issue would eventually resolve itself.
"I knew they wouldn't be able to hold out for long this way and would submit the resignation sooner or later. I knew the resignation issue would resolve itself quickly since they were the ones suffering the consequences, so I didn't press too hard on that," he said.
'Protecting students was my biggest concern'
He stressed that protecting students and ensuring legal relief for protesters remained his biggest concern.
"My focus was that students should not suffer. My main concern was legal action and FIRs. I did not think it was necessary for me personally to secure the minister's resignation," he said, adding that the movement would continue demanding Pradhan's resignation.
Claiming the government was facing growing public anger over its handling of the issue, Wangchuk said, "Their reputation is being tarnished nationwide, and people are angry and filled with hatred."
Wangchuk ended his hunger strike late on Thursday night in the presence of his wife Gitanjali Angmo and Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.
