Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking his immediate release, calling his detention “illegal.” Wangchuk has been lodged in Jodhpur jail since September 26 after being booked under the National Security Act (NSA) in the aftermath of violent clashes in Leh on September 24, which left four dead and many others injured.
Gitanjali argued that her husband has been falsely implicated and wrongfully accused of having links with Pakistan. She strongly opposed the imposition of the NSA, noting that she has not been provided with the detention order, which she says violates legal norms. She also expressed fears over not being able to establish contact with him.
Earlier this week, Gitanjali had also reached out to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her personal intervention. In a three-page letter, she alleged that Wangchuk was being targeted for championing the cause of Ladakh’s people over the last four years. She described the action as a “witch-hunt” against a man who has dedicated his life to promoting sustainable development in the Himalayas and stood firmly with the Indian Army in defence of the nation.
She further questioned whether it was a crime to resist unchecked development in an ecologically fragile region like Ladakh, pointing out lessons from Uttarakhand, Himachal, and the North East where similar mistakes have caused severe ecological damage.
Gitanjali, who is the founder and CEO of the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), also revealed that she was placed under security surveillance and that two members of her institute had recently been detained. She said authorities have even sought sensitive details about students and staff associated with HIAL.
