NEW DELHI, Oct 3 – Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, has approached the Supreme Court seeking his release after his arrest under the National Security Act (NSA) last week. Wangchuk, detained on September 26 following violent protests in Leh, has been lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail.
Angmo’s petition challenges the legality of invoking the stringent NSA against her husband, arguing that the charges are baseless. Sharing a screenshot of her plea on X, she said she had no information about Wangchuk’s health and accused the Ladakh police of working with a political agenda.
https://x.com/GitanjaliAngmo/status/1973955764772614655
“Whatever the DGP is saying, he has an agenda. They don’t want to implement the Sixth Schedule under any circumstances and want to make someone a scapegoat,” she said, rejecting allegations that Wangchuk was in contact with a Pakistani intelligence operative.
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the creation of Autonomous District Councils to govern tribal-majority areas with powers over local legislation and policing—demands long raised by Ladakh groups.
Angmo writes to top leaders
On Wednesday, Angmo also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Home Minister Amit Shah, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta, and the Leh District Collector, urging their intervention.
In her letter, Angmo alleged that a “full-scale witch hunt” was being carried out to “kill the spirit” of the activist. She said Wangchuk “can never be a threat to anyone, let alone his nation,” and demanded basic rights to communicate with her husband.
“Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on the phone and in person wherever he is detained? … Am I not entitled to know the condition of my husband, who has been in detention since September 26 with no communication with me or anyone else close to us?” she asked.
Wangchuk was arrested two days after protests in Leh for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule turned violent, leaving four dead and dozens injured. Police fired on demonstrators after they allegedly torched a BJP office and pelted security forces with stones. Authorities have arrested 44 people in connection with the unrest. Restrictions in Leh have since been partially eased.