‘Ordeal finally over’: Sonam Wangchuk’s wife pens heartfelt note on release

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo on Sunday posted a heartfelt note on social media, citing the end of her husband’s jail ordeal. She said she was relieved that Wangchuk’s incarceration of 170 days had finally come to an end.

“While I thank Jodhpur for all the love and support, I am glad that Wangchuk’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 has finally ended,” she said in a post on X.

The Ladakh climate activist has been in the spotlight after his release from Jodhpur Central Jail on Saturday following nearly six months of incarceration. Wangchuk was arrested and detained in September 2025 after protests erupted in Ladakh demanding stronger constitutional protections for the region.

Angmo also said her husband would be under medical observation for 36 hours. “After a long time, had a free-flowing chat with Wangchuk 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.

Wangchuk’s detention was challenged in the Supreme Court through a petition filed by Angmo. On February 16, the Bench questioned the Union Government about the veracity of translated versions of Wangchuk’s speeches and ordered that the original pendrive supplied to him at the time of his arrest in September 2025 be produced in the court.