Modi regime detained Sonam Wangchuk to keep him out of talks: Wife
New Delhi fears activist is a ‘tough nut to crack’, says Gitanjali Angmo
New Delhi: Gitanjali Angmo, wife of renowned Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has said that the Indian government detained her husband under the draconian National Security Act (NSA) because it did not want him to participate in talks over Ladakh’s political demands, fearing he would be an uncompromising voice for the people.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Angmo told reporters in New Delhi that the Indian govt viewed Wangchuk as a “tough nut to crack” and sought to sideline him from the ongoing discussions between Ladakhi leaders, represented by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and the government in Delhi regarding the region’s political future.
Wangchuk, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, was detained on September 26—two days after protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh turned violent, leaving four people dead and nearly 90 injured.
Angmo said her husband was not a member of either the LAB or KDA but was unilaterally included by both bodies in July due to his credibility and advocacy for Ladakh’s rights. “The government feared that if he was part of the talks, he would insist on what is best for Ladakh and refuse to settle for symbolic assurances,” she said.
She added that the government’s intent behind the detention was to weaken the negotiating front and “come up with suboptimal solutions.” “They knew he wouldn’t return with lollipops,” she remarked, describing the move as “a smokescreen and drama” to prevent his participation in the dialogue process.
Angmo, who has challenged the detention before the Supreme Court of India, said the NSA order against Wangchuk was based on misquoted and outdated statements, many of which were over a year old. “None of the videos cited are from the protest ground. In fact, in one clip, he clearly says, ‘we will not do it that way’—calling for peaceful protest,” she said.
