Srinagar: Gitanjali Angmo, wife of Ladakh’s climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, met her husband at Jodhpur jail on Tuesday — their first meeting since his detention under the National Security Act (NSA).
Angmo, who was accompanied by journalist Ritam Khare, said she had obtained a copy of the detention order, which they plan to challenge legally.
“Met @Wangchuk66 today with @RitamKhare and got the detention order which we will challenge,” she posted on X, adding that her husband’s “spirit is undaunted, his commitment resolute, and his resilience intact.” She also conveyed Wangchuk’s gratitude to supporters for their solidarity.
Earlier, Wangchuk’s brother, Tsetan Dorjey Ley, and Mustafa Haji, legal adviser to the Leh Apex Body, had visited him in jail on Saturday.
Angmo’s meeting followed the Supreme Court’s notice to the government of India and the Ladakh administration on her plea seeking Wangchuk’s release. During Monday’s hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Angmo, urged that the grounds of detention be shared with her so the order could be contested.
The court, however, said it could not allow Angmo’s meeting request until a formal application was made. “First, make a request, and if it’s rejected, then approach the court,” the Bench observed.
Wangchuk was detained under the NSA after violence erupted in Leh on September 24 during his hunger strike demanding statehood for Ladakh. The unrest left four people dead and saw several buildings and vehicles, including the BJP office and Leh Hill Council complex, set ablaze.
The Ladakh administration has accused Wangchuk of acting “prejudicial to the security of the state.” He had ended his 35-day fast soon after the violence broke out.
