The arrest of Ladakh-based social activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) has been termed “illegal, baseless, and without any solid justification” by his wife, Gitanjali Angmo. She has alleged that the central government is fully aware that the case against him is weak, which is why repeated attempts are being made to delay the hearing of the appeal in the Supreme Court.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Gitanjali Angmo said that the Solicitor General appearing on behalf of the Centre has been seeking adjournments repeatedly. According to her, this is a deliberate delay tactic, as the government has realised that there is no legal substance in the case.
Angmo said that Sonam Wangchuk continues to remain in jail due to serious “procedural lapses” on the part of the administration, even though he should have been released long ago.
It is noteworthy that Sonam Wangchuk was arrested from Leh on September 26, two days after the incidents of September 24, when protests demanding full statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution turned violent. During those protests, four people were killed in police firing. The situation escalated as clashes broke out between protesters and the police, stones were pelted, and the office of the Bharatiya Janata Party, along with a police vehicle, was set on fire.
The central government has claimed that the violence was triggered by “provocative statements” made by Sonam Wangchuk. However, his wife has outrightly rejected this allegation. Following his arrest, Sonam Wangchuk was transferred to a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
A few days after the arrest, Gitanjali Angmo approached the Supreme Court, challenging the detention order issued under the NSA and seeking her husband’s immediate release. The petition states that the detention order is based on FIRs that are “old, irrelevant, and extraneous,” many of which do not even mention Sonam Wangchuk by name.
Describing the case as an “open and shut case,” Angmo said it exposes the current state of democracy in the country, where state power is being used to imprison those who raise their voices in the interest of society and the nation. “If this can happen to Sonam, it can happen to anyone,” she said.
She further alleged that the facts cited as grounds for detention are extremely old. Some of the allegations are reportedly based on videos that are said to be one to one-and-a-half years old. Additionally, she described the detention order issued by the District Magistrate as almost a “copy-paste” of the proposal submitted by the Superintendent of Police, alleging that no genuine independent application of mind was exercised.
The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk and his continued detention under the NSA have once again raised serious questions about civil liberties, the democratic right to dissent, and the potential misuse of national security laws. All eyes are now on the Supreme Court’s forthcoming hearing in the matter.
