Wangchuk being treated like a ‘criminal’: Wife Gitanjali Angmo
Calls her husband’s arrest “worst form of democracy”
Leh: Gitanjali Angmo, the wife of renowned Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has strongly condemned her husband’s arrest, saying that authorities are treating him like a criminal without any reason and deliberately targeting him to tarnish his image.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Wangcuk was arrested from his village Ulyaktopo in Leh today and taken to a local police station for questioning.
Angmo, co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), denounced the arrest as “the worst form of democracy,” stating that the police not only took Wangchuk into custody without due process, but also raided their home and spread “false narratives” to paint him as “anti-national”. “It is the worst form of democracy… without any trial, without any reason, they have just taken him like a criminal,” Angmo said in a press statement outside the Leh police station, where her husband is being held for questioning.
Wangchuk has been peacefully protesting for over five years in defense of Ladakh’s fragile environment and its unique cultural identity. His recent campaigns have focused on seeking constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under Sixth Schedule provisions, which have reportedly drawn increasing scrutiny from authorities.
Angmo further said that the ruling BJP establishment is misusing state machinery and legal instruments such as the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to stifle dissent and vilify voices that speak up against environmental and political injustices. “The government should not stoop to this level to tarnish somebody’s image who has been peacefully protesting…,” she said.
In a bold challenge, Angmo called for a live, prime-time television debate with Indian government representatives on the allegations being made against her husband, daring anyone from New Delhi to present evidence rather than rely on what she called “state-sponsored defamation.” “I challenge them to come on prime-time TV to have a one-on-one debate with me about all the allegations,” she said. “Let them not spread false narratives as they are doing. Let them not use the entire state and national machinery to just go after one man.”
Angmo also launched a scathing critique of the ruling BJP, saying the party is operating on a foundation of deceit. “Their foundation is falsehood… If this is how intellectuals and innovators are treated, then God save this country from becoming anything but a Vishwaguru,” she said.
