Leh: The wife of renowned educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has appealed to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his unconditional release, calling his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) illegal, inhumane and a violation of constitutional rights.
In a detailed letter addressed to the country’s top offices, Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo, who is also the founder and CEO of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), said that her husband was taken into custody on September 26 by police in Leh under Section 3(2) of the NSA and immediately flown to Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan.
According to her, no FIR was registered at the time of detention and she was only informed through a phone call and a brief text message from the local police. While she was assured that she would be able to speak with Wangchuk after his arrival in Jodhpur, she claimed that till date no such communication has been facilitated and she remains completely unaware of his condition.
Dr. Angmo said Wangchuk was not even allowed to carry clothes or medicines with him, despite being physically weakened after a 15-day hunger strike earlier in September. She alleged that since the detention, the institute she heads has been placed under surveillance by CRPF personnel, with students and staff monitored closely.
Two members of the institute were reportedly picked up by police in recent days without due authority of law, while media has been barred from entering the HIAL campus to prevent the truth from reaching the world. She also revealed that on September 30 a communication was delivered seeking details of all students, fellows and staff at the institute, citing a fresh FIR registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Questioning the use of the NSA against her husband, Dr. Angmo described Wangchuk as a peaceful Gandhian protester who has consistently raised concerns about climate change, melting glaciers, education reforms and Ladakh’s fragile ecology. She asked whether it could be considered a crime to advocate for sustainable development and the upliftment of backward tribal communities in a peaceful manner.
Recalling his contributions to the Indian Army, she said that Wangchuk had designed shelters for soldiers in extreme Himalayan conditions and had always stood for the unity of India and the strengthening of its borders through democratic means. To treat the son of Ladakh in such a shabby manner, she argued, was not only a sin but also a strategic error.
Dr. Angmo said that her husband’s detention was a clear violation of Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution, which guarantee every citizen the right to life, liberty, legal representation and communication with family. She expressed shock that even these minimum rights had been denied to her family, leaving them in complete darkness about Wangchuk’s health and well-being since September 26. She reminded the President and the Prime Minister that Ladakh has always been a bastion of nationalism and a strong supporter of the armed forces, with the Ladakh Scouts playing a role as vital as the legendary Gurkhas.
In her closing appeal, she urged both leaders to intervene and restore sanity in what she described as a chaotic state of affairs. She wrote that Sonam Wangchuk could never be a threat to the nation and had instead dedicated his life to serving Ladakh and standing in solidarity with the Indian Army. His unconditional release, she said, was not just a matter of justice for one individual but a test of the country’s commitment to democratic freedoms and constitutional values.
Here is full text to Letter
Reference: Detention of my husband Shri Sonam Wangchuk on 26th September 2025, by and
under the order of Deputy Commissioner, Ladakh under section 3(2) of the National Security
Act, 1980.
October 1, 2025
Your Excellency,
I am Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of Shri Sonam Wangchuk (son of Shri Sonam Wangail,
resident of Ullay Tokpo). I am the Founder and CEO of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives,
Ladakh (HIAL). This Institute is dedicated to postgraduate education and advance research in
mountain development and sustainability.
On 26th September 2025, I was at the Institute handling day to day matters when I received a
call from Insp. Rigzin Gurmet, SHO, Leh at about 4 pm, informing me that my husband Shri
Sonam Wangchuk has been detained under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act, 1980
(hereinafter NSA). He further informed that Shri Sonam Wangchuk is being shifted to Central
Jail, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, along with ASP Rishabh Shukla and assured that after landing in
Jodhpur, he will call and make me speak with my husband. He also informed me that it is not
an arrest as there is no FIR, but a detention under NSA.
The message was also in the form of a text message sent on my phone, which reads as under:
“Julae madam
This is to inform you that Shri Sonam Wangchuk S/o Sonam Wangail R/o Ullay Tokpo has
been detained in National Security Act 1980 U/S 3/2.
And further Shri Sonam Angchuk has been shifted to Central Jail Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Our officer will contact you soon on arrival at Central Jail Rajasthan Jodhpur the
concerned officer will contact you with Sonam wangchuk”
Till today, i.e. 1st Oct 2025, the officer has not called me or made me speak to my husband. I
am completely unaware about my husband’s condition. I was also told the officer would explain
to me my legal rights. Even that has not been done till today. I am shocked and devastated. I
was put under CRPF surveillance in Village Phyang, where our Institute is also situated.
Students and staff of the Institute were also put under tight surveillance. Two members of the
Institute were taken into police custody over the past 3 days, presumably without any authority
of law. Even the media was not allowed to enter the campus and speak to us so that the truth
does not reach the world
While detaining him, Shri Wangchuk was not even allowed to take his clothes. I am not aware
whether he has been given fresh clothes and basic amenities including medicines that he needs
on a daily basis, especially after his fast of 15 days in September 2025 that has weakened him
physically.Yesterday, the security guard of my Institute, received a copy of a communication dated
30.09.2025, informing me about the FIR no. 144 of 2025 under sections 109, 115(2), 118(1),
118(2), 117(2), 125, 189, 190, 191(2), (3), 309, 324, 326(e), (f), (g), 121(1) and 61(2) of the
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The contents are the letter are reproduced as under:
“Sir/Madam,
In connection with the subject cited above, your goodself is requested to kindly provide
the list of fellowship students of Ladakh and Hills, residential staff, teachers trainees
residing at HIAL Institute, Phyang with name, parentage, residence and latest
photographs and also provide contact no. and enrolment at your institution.
Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated.
Yours’ Sincerely,
In-Charge,
Special Investigation Team”
A full scale witch hunt has been unleashed for the past one month in particular, and for the past
four years covertly, to kill the spirit of my husband and all the causes he stands for and espouses.
YE, is it a crime to speak about climate change, melting glaciers, educational reforms and
grassroot innovation? To raise one’s voice for upliftment of a backward tribal belt which is
ecologically fragile in a peaceful Gandhian manner for the last four years? It certainly cannot
be termed as a threat to national security.
The people of this country are reaching out in solidarity and support, “shocked” by the
Government action against a peaceful Gandhian protestor with an impeccable track record of
service to the nation.
YE, the entire area of Ladakh is known for its Nationalism and support it renders to the Indian
Army. The Ladakh Scouts are the biggest support system of the Indian Army in that region, no
less than the great Gurkhas who were known for their valour and bravery. Shri Sonam
Wangchuk has been building shelters for the Indian Army to make its officers and jawans sleep
warm and fight effectively. To treat the son of the soil of Ladakh so shabbily is not just a SIN
but a strategic error for building strong borders with solidarity and peaceful coexistence. My
husband Shri Sonam Wangchuk has always stood for the solidarity of India and the
strengthening of our borders and the integration of its peripheral regions through a strong
democratic mechanism – Statehood/UT with legislation and 6th Schedule.
Is it a sin to espouse the cause of people and fight against reckless and unchecked development
activities in a ecology fragile area of Ladakh. This country has learnt its lessons from its
experiences from Uttarakhand, Himachal and the North East of late.YE, you being from a tribal community/background, would understand the feelings of the
people of Leh Ladakh better than anyone else.
May I make the following request as a wife of Shri Sonam Wangchuk, a person under detention
without cause:
1. Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on phone and in person where
ever he is detained?
2. Can I not be of assistance to my husband to know his ground of detention and to espouse
his legal rights of seeking justice before the court of law?
3. Am I not entitled to know the condition of my husband who is in detention since 26th
September 2025 with no communication with me or anyone else close to us?
4. As a responsible citizen of India, are we not entitled to peaceful freedom of expression
and movement?
Apart from the illegal detention of my husband, the manner in which the State and its agencies
are hounding us and have kept us under surveillance is deplorable. It is violative of the spirit
and ethos of the Constitution of India, including Articles 21 and 22, which guarantee every
citizen the fundamental right to legal representation. Shockingly, even this minimal right has
been completely denied to us.
Your Excellency, we appeal to your wisdom and good sense as the head of the state to intervene
and inject voice of sanity in an otherwise chaotic state of affairs. As the President of India, you
embody the principles of Equity, Justice and Conscience!
We request for an unconditional release of Shri Sonam Wangchuk, a person who can never be
a threat to anyone, leave alone his Nation. He has dedicated his life to serve the brave sons of
soil of Ladakh and stands in solidarity with the Indian Army in defence of our great nation!
Sincerely,
Dr. Gitanjali J. Angmo
Wife of Shri Sonam Wangchuk
