by Mir Rameez Raja
SRINAGAR: Ladakh’s internationally acclaimed climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, who inspired Aamir Khan’s character in the Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots, has been arrested under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), triggering an outpouring of political condemnation and sharp divisions between the Centre and the opposition.
Wangchuk, 50, was detained from his village Ulyaktopo in Leh on Friday morning, two days after violent protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule constitutional safeguards rocked Ladakh, leaving four people dead and nearly 100 injured. Officials said he was flown out of Ladakh and lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan, while internet services across Leh district were suspended to prevent the spread of what authorities termed “misinformation”.
The arrest came barely 24 hours after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of Wangchuk’s pioneering non-profit, the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), citing alleged violations. SECMOL, founded in 1988, has been credited with transforming Ladakhi education and sustainability, earning Wangchuk recognition from the United Nations, the Magsaysay Award Foundation, and global institutions.
The Union Territory administration accused Wangchuk of making “provocative statements” and releasing “misleading videos” that allegedly fuelled the September 24 violence in Leh. In a late-night statement, the Department of Information and Public Relations said:
“Time and again it has been observed that Shri Sonam Wangchuk has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State and detrimental to the maintenance of peace and public order.”
The statement added that his references to Nepal’s political agitations and the Arab Spring in public speeches had “directly contributed” to the arson and clashes in Leh, where the BJP office, the Leh Hill Council building and several vehicles were set ablaze.
The administration maintained that the entire episode “could have been avoided” if Wangchuk had called off his hunger strike once dialogue with the government resumed. Instead, it alleged, he pursued “personal and political ambitions” by continuing his protest.
The arrest sparked a furious reaction from Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL).
“He was treated like a criminal without any reason,” she said, alleging that their house was ransacked during the arrest. She accused the government of “spreading false narratives” to malign a man who had “lit up Ladakh with innovation and hope”.
“This is the worst form of democracy—without trial, without reason, they have just taken him like a criminal. If this is how intellectuals and innovators are treated, then God save this country from becoming anything but a Vishwaguru,” Angmo declared.
Challenging the BJP leadership, she said, “Let them not spread falsehoods as they are doing. I am ready for a live, prime-time debate with anyone in the government over every allegation against my husband, from FCRA to CBI inquiries.”
The arrest has united opposition voices across Jammu and Kashmir and beyond.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the detention “unfortunate but inevitable” given the Centre’s recent targeting of the activist. He recalled that Ladakhis had initially boycotted elections but participated after a Union Minister’s assurances. “People not only voted but helped the BJP win. However, those promises were never fulfilled,” Omar said.
Dismissing allegations that he was justifying violence, Omar remarked: “There is no reason to justify violence, but the LoP should answer why this situation has arisen. I am neither Ladakh’s LG nor do I control the security apparatus.” He also pressed the Centre on why statehood for Jammu and Kashmir continues to be delayed.
Former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti called the arrest “deeply disturbing”. In a post on X, she wrote: “A lifelong advocate of peace, sustainability, and truth is being punished merely for demanding that promises be kept. Today, Leh is under curfew with the internet shutdown—a grim echo of what Kashmir has long endured.”
Mehbooba accused the government of “frustration disguised as punishment” in cancelling SECMOL’s FCRA licence. “The man who built ice stupas, solar schools, and lit up Ladakh with innovation is now being targeted in darkness,” she said.
Congress General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said Wangchuk’s arrest was “unnecessary and unwanted”. He accused the Centre of mishandling the Ladakh issue by first permitting foreign funding to SECMOL under the NDA government and now cancelling it. “This reflects total mismanagement,” Mir said, stressing that Ladakh’s people were peace-loving and that the violence was avoidable.
CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami warned that detentions and repressive measures “will only inflame anger and deepen unrest”. TMC MP Sagarika Ghose and AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal joined in condemning the arrest, calling it “dictatorial” and “shameful”.
The Leh Apex Body, which has been spearheading the agitation for Ladakh’s constitutional safeguards, distanced itself from the violence. Its co-chairman Chering Dorjay said while youth had gone “out of control”, there was “no foreign hand” behind the unrest. He accused security forces of firing indiscriminately without first using non-lethal methods like water cannons or warning shots.
Legal advisors to the group described Wangchuk’s detention as “unwise” and warned it could derail ongoing talks with the Centre.
Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing, alleging “targeted firing” at protesters. He too dismissed suggestions that Wangchuk had instigated violence.
For Ladakhis, Wangchuk is not just an activist but a symbol of innovation and resilience in the fragile Himalayan region. Known for designing “ice stupas” to solve water scarcity, building solar-powered schools, and transforming local education through SECMOL, he has earned global accolades including the Magsaysay Award and the Rolex Award for Enterprise.
But for the Ladakh administration, he now stands accused of fomenting unrest. With the NSA invoked, Wangchuk faces indefinite detention without bail, his immediate future resting not on innovation but on the state’s assessment of “public order”.
As curfew entered its third day in Leh and mobile internet remained suspended, an uneasy calm prevailed. Opposition leaders warned of deepening alienation if the Centre continued to treat Ladakh’s demands as a security problem rather than a political one.
“Sonam Wangchuk stood for peace, truth and sustainability,” Mehbooba Mufti said. “If he ends up behind bars, it is not just Ladakh but India’s conscience that stands diminished.”
