India releases Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk after six months in jail

Wangchuk was jailed for demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities.

India has ended the preventive detention of prominent Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, freeing him six months after he was arrested over protests in the Himalayan region.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Saturday it had decided to end Wangchuk’s detention under India’s National Security Act (NSA) “with immediate effect” after “due consideration”.

Wangchuk, 59, an environmental advocate who became a key figure in Ladakh’s movement for greater autonomy, was held in September and later charged with the NSA, following protests that left four people dead and dozens wounded.

New Delhi had blamed the violence on “provocative speeches” by Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding either full federal statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment.

Authorities in the sparsely populated, high-altitude region bordering China and Pakistan, at the time, said the order, issued by the district magistrate of Leh, was needed to “maintain public order”.

Under the NSA, a suspect can be detained for up to 12 months without being formally charged. It is not clear if the charges against Wangchuk were dropped.

The Home Ministry said it remained “committed to fostering an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in” Ladakh and having “meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders”.

Mustafa Haji, a lawyer for the Leh Apex Body – which spearheaded last year’s protests – told the AFP news agency Wangchuk was released from a jail in the western city of Jodhpur on Saturday.

The decision also comes as the Supreme Court continues to hear a petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, challenging the legality of his detention.

The fate of that case remains unclear now that Wangchuk has been released.

An engineer by training, Wangchuk is best known for pioneering water conservation projects in the Himalayas. He received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 for his environmental work and contributions to reforming local schooling in Ladakh.

His life and work are said to have inspired a character played by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan in the hugely popular movie, Three Idiots.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government split Ladakh off from Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both.

Ladakh has since called upon New Delhi to include it in the “Sixth Schedule” of India’s constitution and to have its own local legislature to make its laws and policies.

India’s army maintains a large presence in Ladakh, which includes disputed border areas with China. Troops from the two countries clashed there in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.