Detained climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), has sent out a powerful message to the people of Ladakh and India, demanding an independent judicial inquiry into the recent violence in Leh that claimed four lives.
The message, conveyed on Saturday by his elder brother, Ka Tsetan Dorjey Ley, and his lawyer, Mustafa Haji, following a meeting at the jail, revealed that the activist is “prepared to stay in jail” until a probe is conducted into the fatal clashes.
“I am doing well, both physically and mentally, and thank everyone for their concern and prayers,” Wangchuk stated. He extended “heartfelt condolences to the families of those people who lost their lives” and offered prayers for the injured and arrested.
Call for Judicial Probe and Continued Struggle
Wangchuk was detained under the NSA on September 26, two days after protests for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent, resulting in four deaths and 90 injuries. The administration has accused him of instigating the violence.
In his message, Wangchuk firmly demanded accountability for the deaths:
“There should be an independent Judicial Inquiry into the killing of our four people, and unless that is done, I am prepared to stay in jail.”
Reiterating his commitment to the ongoing movement, he affirmed his full support for the region’s main political bodies. “I stand firmly with Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and the people of Ladakh in our genuine constitutional demand for Sixth Schedule and Statehood,” he said.
He concluded his message with an appeal for calm, urging the public to “keep peace and unity and continue with our struggle peacefully—in the true Gandhian way of non-violence.”
Supreme Court Hearing Scheduled
The message from the activist comes just hours before a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court. Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, has filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention under the NSA and seeking his immediate release.
The plea is scheduled to be heard by a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria on Monday, October 6.