Lectures and speeches by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk have been “wrongly translated” and “quoted out of context” to frame an “anti-national narrative” in his detention order, his wife Gitanjali J Angmo alleged on Wednesday.
After meeting Wangchuk in Jodhpur jail, Angmo said the charges against him under the National Security Act (NSA) were “frivolous” and would be legally challenged. “The detention order appears to be very frivolous and weak, and we will challenge it in court,” she said.
Angmo, accompanied by lawyer Ritam Khare, met the detained activist on Tuesday and received a copy of the detention order. “He appeared weak... The way they took him was inhumane. He was detained after 15 days of fasting,” she said, adding that jail authorities had assured her of his wellbeing.
She claimed the order, which cites his speeches and lectures as evidence, relied on mistranslations of Ladakhi-language addresses and classroom talks. “His ideas and words have been taken out of context to build a narrative, which is false. He has mostly referred to (Mahatma) Gandhi, referred to the art of winning without fighting,” Angmo said.
“They have also taken some lectures from his classes and some videos from a weekly talk he does in Ladakhi. The talks in Ladakhi are wrongly translated into English, his statements are taken out of context and twisted to suit their anti-national narrative,” she added.
Also read: Sonam Wangchuk Habeas Corpus plea heard, next hearing Oct 14
Wangchuk, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, was detained under the NSA on September 26, two days after protests in Leh demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule turned violent, leaving four dead and 90 injured.
Under the NSA, individuals can be held for up to 12 months to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India”. The law allows preventive detention without the requirement of producing the detainee before a court.
Angmo said her husband’s spirit remained strong despite his deteriorating health. “His spirit is undaunted. His commitment resolute! His resilience intact! He conveys heartfelt thanks to all for their support and solidarity,” she wrote earlier on X.
Wangchuk’s brother, Tsetan Dorje, along with lawyer Mustafa Haji, also visited him last Saturday. Haji later said the activist had demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the deaths during last month’s protest. “Wangchuk is willing to stay in jail until such an inquiry is conducted,” Haji wrote on X.
Angmo has since filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking Wangchuk’s release and questioning the invocation of the NSA against him. The matter is listed for hearing on October 14.
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