On Friday, days after Sonam Wangchuk was arrested and charged under the strict National Security Act (NSA), his wife Gitanjali Angmo filed a motion with the Supreme Court to have him released. With accusations against the Centre and calls for her husband's release, Gitanjali Angmo has been in the spotlight since Wangchuk's arrest.
Wangchuk was taken into custody a few days after at least four people were killed in deadly protest violence in Leh, Ladakh.
Denouncing his arrest as 'illegal', Gitanjali Angmo had sent letters to everyone from the President to the Prime Minister. However, with that effort proving futile, Sonam's wife has now turned to the Supreme Court.
Angmo stated that the Union Home Ministry is "misusing" the Ladakh Police. She compares the current situation in Ladakh to that during British India, "Is India really free? In 1857, 24,000 Britishers used 135,000 Indian sepoys to oppress 300 million Indians under orders from the Queen. Today, a dozen administrators are misusing 2400 Ladakhi police to oppress and torture 3 lakh Ladakhis under the orders of the MHA," Gitanjali wrote on X.
Gitanjali recently said they had attended a climate change conference organised by the United Nations and a Pakistani media outlet. She said to ANI, "This is absolutely wrong and false, we condemn it to the core. A narrative is being formed to frame someone. When the UT government was buying Chinese tablets, he (Wangchuk) was talking about tackling China not with bullets but with a wallet. How can such a person be anti-national?"
Meanwhile, according to the Tribune report, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor (LG) Kavinder Gupta emphasised, "They (Ladakh leaders who were part of protests) are engaging in talks with the administration, and given current events, we can also have discussions at the table. Once such an environment is fostered, we will begin the dialogue. The administration tried to represent the interests of the people... I've been here for the past two months, and I haven't turned down any meetings. People listen to what I say and work towards solutions,"
About Gitanjali J Angmo
Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of Sonam Wangchuk, is an Indian social entrepreneur and educator, known for her work in education and community development in Ladakh. She is the Founder, CEO, and Dean of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL). She received the Women Transforming India Award from the Government of India for her contributions to education and community development.
