Gitanjali Angmo, the wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, petitioned the Supreme Court on Friday for his release. This legal move follows her appeal to President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday seeking intervention for Wangchuk, who has been detained in Jodhpur jail, Rajasthan, since he was taken into custody after violent clashes in Ladakh on September 24.
In a three-page letter to the President, Angmo accused the government of conducting a “witch-hunt” against her husband, who has been advocating for local issues for the past four years. She expressed concern regarding her husband’s well-being in custody.
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, just two days after violent protests in Leh led to the deaths of four individuals and injuries to many others. The unrest was part of demonstrations demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which provides for autonomy in certain regions.
Gitanjali Angmo, who is also the CEO of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HAIL), criticized the central government on Thursday, alleging police brutality against the inhabitants of Ladakh following the incidents during the protests. She drew parallels between the current conditions in Ladakh and those in British India, claiming that the Union Home Ministry is “misusing” local police forces.
She stated, “Is India really free? In 1857, 24,000 Britishers used 135,000 Indian sepoys to oppress 300 million Indians under orders from the Queen. Today, a dozen administrators are misusing 2,400 Ladakhi police to oppress and torture 300,000 Ladakhis under the orders of the MHA,” in a statement made on the social media platform X.
