Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on Friday by Ladakh police under the National Security Act (NSA) and has been shifted to Jodhpur Central Jail. Speaking to The Indian Express, his wife Gitanjali Angmo, provided details of the arrest and the pressures Wangchuk has faced in recent times.
According to Angmo, Wangchuk was at his residence in his village when police arrived around 12:30 pm and began searching the premises. His phone and other electronic devices were seized, and he was later informed that he was being detained under the NSA.
“I was at our institute at that time when I received a call from an inspector that he was being taken to Jodhpur jail on a flight and that he would speak to me once he landed there. I am still waiting,” she told IE.
Allegations of targeting and harassment
Angmo further suggested that the detention appears to be part of a larger pattern of harassment. “It is very evident why this has been done. It is to harass him from every angle. Even before the violence erupted, the government had ordered the cancellation of allotment of land to his institute,” she said.
She also pointed to ongoing legal scrutiny, including a CBI inquiry and I-T summons. “Most likely it is because elections were round the corner in October and they did not want the public to be reminded of the key issues concerning Ladakh. This is how they lost the Parliamentary elections here,” Angmo claimed.
Family asserts innocence and peaceful record
Angmo emphasised that Wangchuk poses no threat to public order. “In no way is Wangchuk a threat to public order. For the last four years, he has been protesting in the peaceful Gandhian way. The very premise on which the detention has been done is not right,” she said.
She added that blaming him for the recent violence in Ladakh was unjust. “He was not even aware of the whole thing. He even appealed for peace and broke his fast to ensure peace prevailed. I don’t know what national threat he poses. He has been working for the Indian Army and soldiers, building heated shelters for them. He has been working in the field of innovative education and climate. It does not make any sense. It (NSA) has been invoked because it gives absolute power to the government,” Angmo said.
Wangchuk’s work and international engagement
Angmo highlighted that Wangchuk’s recent trip to Pakistan was part of a UN conference, which she had also attended. “The Pakistan trip was a UN conference, and I had accompanied him on the trip. Climate change does not care about borders. Everything is connected. Mr (Narendra) Modi himself goes to China. What has to be seen is the intent. We are with India and the truth, and whoever allies with it,” she said.
She also described the legal scrutiny on Wangchuk’s institute as selective targeting. “I have clearly mentioned earlier that it was a case of witch-hunting. Many institutions, including government ones, do not have signed leases, and they have been allowed construction even as things go through the process,” Angmo said.
Angmo added that the institute has consistently followed legal and procedural requirements. “I have been consistently following up with the Education Ministry. The last I wrote (to them) was in 2023. After the UT (Ladakh) was formed, no lease policy was formulated. Anybody can see in black and white that we haven’t done anything wrong. We are funded by PSUs, who wouldn’t put their penny without checking all the papers. And these papers have been approved by the Deputy Commissioner, who is now issuing orders for withdrawal of the land allotment,” she explained.