Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of Sonam Wangchuk, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu to release her husband, who is currently detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in Jodhpur.
Alleging that a "full-scale witch hunt has been unleashed" for the past month to kill the "spirit of the climate activist", Angmo said that Sonam Wangchuk can "never be a threat to anyone, let alone his nation".
Angmo has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Kavinder Gupta, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and also the Leh District Collector, which she published on X too.
Mentioning the requests to the PM, President and HM Shah, Angmo questioned, "Am I not entitled to meet and speak with my husband on the phone and in person wherever he is detained?"
Angma further questioned, "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 has been in detention since 26 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?".
Reiterating that she has not been able to meet her husband despite assurances from officials, Angmo highlighted the message she allegedly received from the police, stating that she would be contacted as soon as Wangchuk reaches Jodhpur jail, which has not yet occurred.
"Till today, 1st Oct 2025, the officer has not called me or made me speak to my husband. I am completely unaware of 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," she alleged in the letter, referring to the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), of which she is a founder.
Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act NSA on September 26 and shifted to Jodhpur jail shortly after.
The arrest happened following violence in Leh during protests, which claimed the lives of atleast four people. The restrictions under section 163 of BNSS, which were imposed in the region, were eased for a few hours on Tuesday, allowing people to buy essential items. The protesters have been demanding inclusion of the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. A total of 44 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
