Sonam Wangchuk's Detention: Wife Refutes Government Allegations and Reveals Years of Harassment Following Ladakh Statehood Advocacy

Gitanjali J Angmo shares her perspective with NDTV's Aditya Raj Kaul regarding her husband Sonam Wangchuk's detention under the National Security Act.

In an interview from Leh, Gitanjali J Angmo has firmly denied all allegations made by the government against her husband, social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was arrested following protests in Ladakh that resulted in four fatalities and over 50 injuries.

Angmo revealed she has received no communication from authorities about her husband's whereabouts for more than 48 hours since his detention under the stringent National Security Act, which permits extended detention without bail.

According to Angmo, their troubles began approximately four years ago when Wangchuk started advocating for legislative representation in the Union Territory and implementation of the Sixth Schedule. She described how Intelligence Bureau officials subsequently visited their residence with threats regarding foreign funding applications for their non-profit organization, the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL).

The couple operates two non-profit organizations: HIAL and the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), which Wangchuk co-founded in 1988. SECMOL previously held a license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) until the Ministry of Home Affairs recently revoked it, citing alleged violations including using foreign funds to "study national sovereignty."

Angmo explained to NDTV that tensions escalated when Ladakhis' expectations for legislative representation and Sixth Schedule protections remained unfulfilled, despite their overwhelming electoral support for the BJP.

"He [Wangchuk] himself voted for the BJP when the last MP won. Everybody here voted for them to bring them to power because they were fulfilling our needs... Of having the Sixth Schedule, of having a legislature because a Union Territory without a legislature or without Sixth Schedule means you are just opening up to vultures," Angmo stated during her interview with NDTV's Aditya Raj Kaul.

The Sixth Schedule provides administrative frameworks for tribal regions through autonomous governance structures.

Angmo described how pressure against them intensified gradually after Wangchuk began his peaceful protests, culminating in SECMOL losing its FCRA registration last week.

Responding to allegations from Ladakh's Director General of Police SD Singh Jamwal about Wangchuk's supposed Pakistani connections, Angmo characterized these claims as a "failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs." The police official had questioned Wangchuk's attendance at an event in Pakistan hosted by the newspaper Dawn and his reported communication with a Pakistani person of Indian origin.

"That is the failure of the Ministry of Home Affairs if they have found such a thing. What has the MHA been doing that a Pakistani intelligence person is roaming here? They have failed in their duty. I want them to be answerable," Angmo responded.

She clarified that her husband participated in the Breathe Pakistan conference as a scientist focused on climate change, at an event organized under United Nations auspices. Angmo emphasized that climate challenges transcend geopolitical boundaries, necessitating international collaboration despite political tensions.

Angmo further revealed she possesses video evidence of Wangchuk praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Pakistan event for his initiatives addressing air pollution, carbon emissions reduction, and climate change response.

"So, where are people getting this connection between his [Wangchuk's] visit to Pakistan and this? Modi travels to China. He shakes hands with Muhammad Yunus. So it is the intent behind the meetings. Not everybody who goes to China is a terrorist," she added.

Angmo strongly refuted the Home Ministry's claims that her husband's speech incited violent mob behavior. She emphasized that Wangchuk immediately discontinued his fast and condemned the violence to prevent further harm to protesters.

"If he were inciting, then he could have done more, right? But he stopped his fast because he didn't want this to escalate. And the bereaved families, even after losing their sons, said it was not at all Sonam Wangchuk's fault," Angmo stated.

Regarding funding issues, Angmo disclosed that SECMOL had properly utilized all received foreign contributions, amounting to approximately "Rs 4 lakh." Their application for an FCRA license for HIAL was submitted "two-three years ago" but stalled after Wangchuk began his protest activities.

"When Sonam went on fast for the first time, the Intelligence Bureau visited us daily. They started using FCRA as a blackmailing tool that if you continued with this action, your FCRA licence won't be finalized. So Sonam said, OK, don't do it. We are not dependent on foreign funds," she revealed.

Angmo criticized the government's interpretation of "national sovereignty" in their FCRA violation notice, explaining: "One of the points in the ministry's notification was about the sovereignty of the nation. I mean, it can either be an idiot who does it or a malicious person, because people are laughing at this line from the ministry, so frivolous. It was about food sovereignty for heaven's sake. Food sovereignty is when you grow your own food..."

Prior to his arrest under the NSA, Wangchuk had clarified to NDTV that his organization did not accept foreign contributions but conducted legitimate business transactions with UN, Swiss, and Italian organizations, with all applicable taxes paid.

The Home Ministry maintains that Wangchuk incited the mob through provocative statements and noted: "Incidentally, amidst these violent developments, he broke his fast and left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation."

Ladakh's shift from celebrating its Union Territory status in 2019 following the revocation of Article 370 to the current tensions over statehood demands has led to speculation about foreign interference or local vested interests orchestrating the crisis.

However, discontent has been building for years due to perceived political vacuums under Lieutenant Governor administration, resulting in unprecedented unity between political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil in advocating for their collective demands.