Sonam Wangchuk’s wife moves Supreme Court, seeks his release

Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo has moved the Supreme Court seeking his release.

Detained on September 26 — two days after the September 24 violent clashes between protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh and the police — Wangchuk has been lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.

He has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA) for the violent protests that left four people dead and around 90 injured.

Angimo has challenged Wangchuk's detention, besides seeking his immediate release. She has also questioned the Ladakh Administration’s decision to invoke the NSA against Wangchuk.

Angimo alleged that she has not been given a copy of the detention order in violation of rules, and that she had had no contact so far with her husband.

The Ladakh Administration has rejected allegations of a "witch-hunt" or a "smokescreen" operation against Wangchuk.