Sonam Wangchuk Released After Six Months in Jail; Wife Shares Relief as Ladakh Leaders Welcome Centre’s Move | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur Central Jail on Saturday after the Union Government revoked his detention under the National Security Act, nearly six months after his arrest during protests in Ladakh.

Wangchuk had been detained on September 26, 2025, two days after protests in Leh over demands for statehood for Ladakh and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution turned violent. More than 45 people, including 22 policemen, were injured in the unrest.

According to officials, the activist was released from jail around 1.30 pm following orders from the Centre. His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, was present in Jodhpur to complete the formalities.

A day after the release, Angmo posted a message on social media expressing relief that her husband’s detention had ended after 170 days.

“Writing the final letter to the jail superintendent yesterday seeking permission to meet and inform @Wangchuk66 of his release. While I thank Jodhpur for all the love and support, I am glad that @Wangchuk66’s ordeal of being inside the jail for 170 days and my ordeal of making two trips a week every week for just a 60-minute meeting over the past five months have finally ended,” she wrote on X.

Writing the final letter to the jail superintendent yesterday seeking permission to meet and inform @Wangchuk66 of his release. While I thank Jodhpur for all the love and support, I am glad that @Wangchuk66’s ordeal of being inside the jail for 170 days and my ordeal of making 2… pic.twitter.com/G62m9yE8XB

— Gitanjali J Angmo (@GitanjaliAngmo) March 15, 2026

She also said Wangchuk would undergo medical examination and observation following his release.

“After a long time had a free-flowing chat with @Wangchuk66 without glancing at the scary clock every now and then to make the most of the fleeting 60 minutes as in jail. Taking him for a health check-up as per the strong recommendations of our family doctor. He will be under medical observation for 36 hours in a good hospital,” she added.

The Centre announced on Saturday that it had revoked Wangchuk’s detention with immediate effect. The activist had been detained under the NSA on the orders of the Leh district magistrate and later transferred to Jodhpur prison.

The decision was welcomed by leaders and organisations in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which are engaged in talks with the Centre on Ladakh’s political demands, termed the move a positive development.

LAB co-chairman Cherring Dorjay Lakruk said the decision vindicated the stand taken by Ladakh’s people. “We have been saying from day one that the allegations against him were not true, including the tag of anti-national. Today it has been proved that what we were saying was correct,” he said.

KDA leader Sajjad Kargili also welcomed the revocation but said the struggle for Ladakh’s rights would continue, including demands for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.

Ladakh MP Mohamad Hanifa said the government should now address the region’s long-pending political demands.

Political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir also reacted to the development. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the activist should not have been detained under the NSA in the first place. Mehbooba Mufti also said invoking the law against Wangchuk was unjustified given his environmental work.

Meanwhile, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena described the revocation of the detention as a positive step towards fostering peace and stability in the region, adding that concerns could be resolved through dialogue and mutual understanding.

Political observers said the release, coming a day after Saxena assumed office as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, appeared to signal renewed outreach by the Centre ahead of further talks with Ladakh’s civil society groups on the region’s political demands.