Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, on Tuesday dismissed the Ladakh Police’s claim that her husband was in touch with a Pakistani intelligence operative.
Gitanjali said the allegations were false and part of a narrative being created to frame him.
“This is absolutely wrong and false, we condemn it to the core. A narrative is being formed to frame someone...When the UT government was buying Chinese tablets, he (Wangchuk) was talking about tackling China not with bullets but with a wallet. How can such a person be anti-national?” she said.
She explained that in February they attended a climate change conference organised by the United Nations (UN) and Pakistan’s Dawn media outlet.
“In February, we went to a conference organised by the UN and Dawn media on climate change. If India plays cricket with China, will the players and cricket bodies be anti-national? A conference on glaciers which provide water to all the countries from Bangladesh to Afghanistan... If a person participates in such a conference, will he be an ISI agent? What is the evidence behind it? They are saying a Pakistani entered here, so the MHA should answer,” she asked.
Responding to Ladakh DGP’s allegation of Wangchuk being ‘anti-national,’ Gitanjali reminded that the same government had awarded him for the solar-heated buildings and Ice Stupas.
"A person who works for the environment, for the army, who has dedicated his career to grassroots efforts for the youth, and has been recognised by the world--this very government, when RK Singh was energy minister, awarded HIAL the first prize for passive solar-heated buildings, which are currently used by the Army. Was this government blind before?" she said.
"Do they not see that they are awarding someone who is anti-national? The Minister of Tribal Affairs awarded Ice Stupas--did they not realise that it was anti-national? How weak is their intelligence system?" she further added.
Gitanjali's remarks came as Ladakh DGP Jamwal during a press conference said the police had arrested a Pakistan PIO who was in touch with Wangchuk.
Jamwal said, "We arrested a Pakistan PIO in the recent past who was reporting back across. We have a record of this. He (Sonam Wanghchuk) had attended a Dawn event in Pakistan. He also visited Bangladesh. So, there is a big question mark on him...Investigation is being done."
Gitanjali underlined that Wangchuk only sought Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, a demand supported widely by locals.
She said, "It's essential to acknowledge that not only does Sonam Wangchuk advocate for the Sixth Schedule, but the entire leadership supports him, as do all citizens of Ladakh and possibly the entire country. Because he is simply voicing the people's wishes to the government... These individuals believe that by attacking their reputation from all angles, they can undermine this movement. However, this movement resides in everyone's heart."
"The Sixth Schedule is not anti-development. It doesn't imply that the people won't allow the government to do anything there. The Sixth Schedule simply states that democracy is important in any region, and that a fragile ecosystem or tribal area has its own ways; your development cannot be their development," she added.
On Wangchuk’s detention after the September 24 violence, Gitanjali said she was managing work at HIAL when he went to meet family.
“I was at HIAL managing things and not physically present because he went to meet his family. The house was searched with 5-10 people inside, and about 100 police personnel were outside. I learned at 4 am from Inspector Rigzin that he was detained. They said it was detention, not arrest, and that once he lands in Jodhpur, ASP Shukla would call to explain our rights. Four days later, we haven't received any call, detention order, or information about his condition...We've called and left messages, but he hasn't responded, and we can't go out due to curfew,” she further said.
She alleged they were under virtual house arrest and HAIL staff and students were also kept under detention.
"Yesterday, CRPF followed you into our campus, is this democracy?... We're virtually under house arrest; people are questioned when they come and go. Our staff and students were detained overnight, and others are being taken without reason. They aim to create fear in a peaceful area. Democracy is about dialogue, not oppression," she said.
Also Read: No talks with Centre until Sonam Wangchuk is released: KDA
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