India releases Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk after six months of detention

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday ended the preventive detention of prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, releasing him six months after his arrest over protests demanding greater autonomy for Ladakh.

Wangchuk, 59, a well-known environmental advocate and public figure in Ladakh’s autonomy movement, had been detained in September under the stringent National Security Act following protests in the region that left four people dead and dozens injured.

Authorities had accused Wangchuk of delivering “provocative speeches” during demonstrations, while the activist had been on a hunger strike demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land rights and fragile environment.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (India) said in a statement that Wangchuk’s detention had been revoked “with immediate effect” after due consideration, though it was not immediately clear whether the charges against him had been formally withdrawn.

According to Mustafa Haji, a lawyer for the Leh Apex Body that led last year’s protests, Wangchuk was released from prison in Jodhpur shortly after the government’s decision.

The home ministry said it remained committed to promoting “peace, stability and mutual trust” in Ladakh while continuing meaningful dialogue with local stakeholders.

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

In a statement posted earlier this week on his X account, Wangchuk said he remained committed to activism for the region.

“I have not stepped away from activism. My commitment to Ladakh remains unchanged,” he wrote, adding that the movement sought a “just and lasting future” for the region through unity and dialogue.

An engineer by training, Wangchuk is widely known for pioneering innovative water conservation projects in the Himalayas and for his contributions to education reform in Ladakh. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 for his environmental and social work.

His life and initiatives are also said to have inspired a character portrayed by Aamir Khan in the hit Bollywood film 3 Idiots.

The protests that led to Wangchuk’s detention stem from the Indian government’s 2019 decision under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke the autonomy of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir and separate Ladakh as a federally governed territory.

Since then, residents of Ladakh have demanded inclusion in the “Sixth Schedule” of India’s constitution, which would grant constitutional protections for tribal land and local governance.

The region, located along sensitive borders with China and Pakistan, hosts a significant Indian military presence. Tensions in the area escalated in 2020 when clashes between Indian and Chinese troops resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.