The demand that talks without Sonam Wangchuk must not decide Ladakh’s future has grown stronger after a powerful statement from his wife, Gitanjali Angmo. She says talks without Sonam Wangchuk hold no value for Ladakhis because he remains central to the region’s movement for statehood and the Sixth Schedule.
Gitanjali calls Wangchuk a “political prisoner” and claims that officials repeat false narratives spread online to defame him. She says independent agencies already checked many allegations and found them baseless. Wangchuk has spent nearly two months in jail after a peaceful protest turned violent on September 24. He now faces charges under the National Security Act, and Gitanjali has challenged his detention in the Supreme Court.
She says she has avoided visiting Ladakh due to fear of arrest, adding that normalcy has not returned. Detentions continue, and families live under stress.
Gitanjali also explains how HIAL and SECMOL, the learning institutes co-founded by Wangchuk, suffered a two-year setback because academic programmes stopped and authorities increased scrutiny.
For Ladakhis, she says, any negotiation with the Centre must involve Wangchuk. His absence, she believes, weakens the democratic voice of the region.
