BY- Chhavi Sharma, M.Sc Economics (1st year)
Sonam Wangchuk, an internationally recognised innovator, educational reformer and climate-activist from Ladakh, represents a critical flashpoint in India’s political climate today. Citizens with legitimate and informed demands can be viewed as a threat if they do not align with the prevailing governmental ideology.
On September 26, he was arrested and transported about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from home to jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), charged with “anti-national” activities after a breakaway group from his protest engaged in violent clashes with security forces. A man who inspired one of Bollywood’s most successful movies (3 Idiots), fought to secure Ladakh’s arid land, developed solar tents for the Indian Army and represented India on the international level now stands accused of treason with Pakistan. On the flip side, a Kargil war veteran who served in the Ladakh Scouts as a Havildar between 1996 and 2017—Pakistan couldn’t take Tharchin in battle, yet he was one of the four shot dead by his own country in the protests.
Which of the two is anti-national behaviour?
His background is defined by years of constructive engagement with the community and efforts to preserve the environment. Born in Uleytokpo, a mountain village about 70 km from Leh in 1966, he was home-schooled by his mother, Tsering Wangmo, until the age of nine. When the family moved to Srinagar he struggled in daily classes, since he spoke only Ladakhi while instruction was in Urdu and Kashmiri. He graduated with a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar (then REC) in 1987. These early life experiences shaped a lifelong interest in culturally sensitive, context-specific solutions. Later he pursued higher studies in Earthen Architecture at the Craterre School of Architecture in Grenoble, France.
He was awarded the Jammu & Kashmir Governor’s Medal in 1996 for “reforming Ladakh’s education system.”With over 95 % of Ladakhi students failing their state exams due to a curriculum in Urdu—which was alien to many in Ladakh—he co-founded the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) with other students to reform the education system. At SECMOL, the pass rate rose from 5 % to 55 % in seven years, and then to 75 %. He also founded an alternative school campus near Leh that admitted students only if they had failed regular schools. Students learned through hands-on, experiential methods like running radio stations, farming, repairing machines and managing the campus themselves. The campus is a testament to sustainable engineering—completely powered by solar energy and constructed using rammed earth technology to stay warm even in minus-30 °C cold. SECMOL won the International Terra Award for the best building at the 12th World Congress on Earthen Architecture in Lyon, France. Later, he founded the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL).His work in environmental protection is globally celebrated. The “Ice Stupa” technique he pioneered (starting in 2014) uses artificial conical ice-structures to preserve glacier water during winter and gradually release it during planting season in arid lands. In February 2021 he developed mobile solar power tents for the army, accommodating approximately ten soldiers in harsh conditions. His exceptional record has earned him more than 15 awards, including the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award (2018), the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture (2017) and the Governor’s Medal (1996).
For years his efforts were supported by the Indian government as they reinforced their developmental narrative. However, when he shifted to policy advocacy and reminded the government of promises made to Ladakhis during the 2020 Hill Council election—especially around inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule—it stirred problems and culminated in the cancellation of his organisation’s FCRA licence and his detention under NSA.
The agitation led by local political organisations such as the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) centres on four principal demands for the Union Territory of Ladakh: Grant of full Statehood; Extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution; Establishment of a separate Public Service Commission for local job reservations; Allocation of two Lok Sabha seats, one each for Leh and Kargil.
The demand for the Sixth Schedule is identity-driven since over 95 % of the Ladakhi population comprises tribal groups. In 2019 Ladakh lost constitutional protections under Articles 370 and 35A. The Sixth Schedule, which provides administration in tribal areas of the North-East—would ensure protection of tribal land-rights, local culture, and prevention of demographic dilution by external actors. Though Ladakh initially celebrated its Union Territory status in 2019 and separation from Jammu & Kashmir, people felt betrayed when their status and powers weren’t restored by adequate safeguards. For this reason a hunger-strike began on March 21, 2024. On September 30, 2024, he and about 120 activists were detained while attempting a peaceful march (Padyatra) into Delhi. On October 5, 2024, following the brief detention and lack of government response, he began an indefinite fast, ending his initial 16-day hunger strike after an assurance from the Ministry of Home Affairs that talks would be held in December. The fast resumed again on September 10, 2025.
His detention on September 26, 2025, followed violent protests in Leh which resulted in four civilian deaths and around 90 injuries. During a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body on September 24, clashes with security forces led to loss of life, after which curfew-type restrictions and mobile internet suspension were imposed. He was officially charged under NSA and moved to Rajasthan’s prison. The administration said the detention was essential “to prevent him from further acting in a manner prejudicial to maintenance of public order.” Officials cited his “provocative speeches and videos” as the basis for applying NSA—accusing him of referencing Nepal’s Gen-Z protests to incite masses, demotivating the Ladakh Scouts in the case of war with Pakistan or China, and urging confrontation with China. His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, provided a detailed rebuttal and labelled the charges as “filmy, childish and baseless.” She argued videos were taken out of context and only selected parts used to misinterpret his real message – he clearly said “ours should be peaceful”. She questioned the relevance of old videos for justifying recent detention and pointed out that the alleged confrontation with China was based on a misquote from a comedian he had quoted and rejected. The Ladakh police chief, S.D. Singh Jamwal, said the activist is under investigation for possible links to Pakistan, citing his attendance at a Dawn media-group event in Pakistan in collaboration with the United Nations as evidence. Conversely, he had represented India at a global stage and praised the Prime Minister for efforts in tackling climate change. The Ministry of Home Affairs cancelled SECMOL’s FCRA licence on September 25, 2025, citing violations following a CBI inquiry which alleged contravention of several sections of the FCRA, including the deposit of domestic funds into the foreign contribution account (₹3.35 lakh in FY 2021-22). More significantly, they alleged a violation of national interest: SECMOL had received ₹4.93 lakh from a Swedish donor for youth-awareness programmes on migration, climate change, food-security and sovereignty, but the Ministry asserted the foreign contributions could not be accepted for a study on “sovereignty of the nation”. Mrs. Angmo disputed this interpretation, clarifying the funds were for “food-sovereignty” , part of the pedagogical programme at SECMOL where students learn to grow their own food , not “national sovereignty”. This semantic clash demonstrates how administrative scrutiny was used to justify a political action. On the official Instagram channel he stated that ever since he began raising his voice about vast pasture lands in Ladakh being handed to companies without local consultations and more broadly about indigenous rights, he has received a series of “gifts” , one of which he claims was the cancellation of the land lease for HIAL. There has been no official update on his condition and no communication with the family. While Mrs. Angmo has been appealing to higher authorities in the capital for justice, she says those close to her and people working with them are being attacked.
References
- Pti. (2025, September 27). Why Sonam Wangchuk has been detained under NSA? The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/why-sonam-wangchuk-has-been-detained-under-nsa/articleshow/124174172.cms?from=mdr
- HT News Desk. (2025, September 26). From hunger strike to FCRA cancellation: What led to Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest | Latest News India. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/from-hunger-strike-to-fcra-cancellation-what-led-to-sonam-wangchuks-arrest-after-ladakh-violence-a-timeline-101758884056494.html
- Pti. (2025b, October 19). Ladakh representatives to hold talks with MHA in Delhi on Oct 22. The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ladakh-representatives-mha-delhi-oct-22-10316407/
- Education, T. (2025, September 27). Sonam Wangchuk educational qualifications: How this engineer from NIT Srinagar became a prominent activist in Ladakh. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/sonam-wangchuk-educational-qualifications-how-this-engineer-from-nit-srinagar-became-a-prominent-activist-in-ladakh/articleshow/124176451.cms
- Sharma, Y. (2025, October 7). How Ladakh protest leader Sonam Wangchuk went from Indian hero to ‘traitor.’ Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/10/7/how-ladakh-protest-leader-sonam-wangchuk-went-from-indian-hero-to-traitor
- NH Political Bureau. (2025, October 5). In msg from jail, Wangchuk reiterates demand for Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh. National Herald. https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/in-msg-from-jail-wangchuk-reiterates-demand-for-sixth-schedule-status-for-ladakh
- https://www.nobelprize.org/events/nobel-week-dialogue/stockholm-2018/panellists/sonam-wangchuk/