Gitanjali J Angmo, the spouse of famous climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has gone to the Supreme Court of India in pursuit of her husband’s unconditional release from detention. This legal action on Friday comes after she directly appealed to President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday, asking for her intervention.
Wangchuk, who is a statehood and environmental activist for Ladakh, was arrested under the strict National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, two days following the hurling of stones during protests in Leh. He is now being held in Jodhpur Jail, Rajasthan.
Charge Of ‘Witch-Hunt’ And Condition Unknown
In a three-page letter to President Murmu, Angmo, the CEO of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL), accused a “witch-hunt” against her husband. She argues that his detention is due to his four-year struggle for constitutional protection for Ladakh’s tribal culture and land under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Showing concern for the activist’s health, Angmo wrote in the letter that she is totally unaware of her husband’s state of health after his detention.
The violence on September 24, which had led to Wangchuk’s arrest, had taken place during protests over the Sixth Schedule status and had left four people dead and some injured in Leh town.
Wife Slams Administration, Compares Ladakh To British-Ruled India
In another statement issued on Thursday, Ms. Angmo severely criticized the central government as well as the local administration, accusing police torture of the Ladakhis after the violence.
Dramatically painting a comparison, she likened the present scenario in the Union Territory to the British Raj era of oppression. Posting on social media platform X, she wrote:
“Is India free indeed? In 1857, 24,000 Britishers employed 135,000 Indian sepoys to subjugate 300 million Indians at the behest of the Queen. Now, a score of administrators are abusing 2400 Ladakhi police to subjugate and torture 3 lakh Ladakhis at the behest of the MHA [Ministry of Home Affairs].”
Her appeal to the Supreme Court asks for judicial intervention against what she describes as the illegal and arbitrary imprisonment of the renowned activist.
