NEW DELHI: Activist and engineer Sonam Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur Central Jail on Saturday after spending nearly six months in detention, with his wife Geetanjali J Angmo describing the moment as the end of a long and exhausting ordeal for their family.In a message posted on X shortly after his release, Angmo wrote about the emotional process of informing Wangchuk that he would finally walk free. “Writing the final letter to the jail superintendent yesterday seeking permission to meet and inform @Wangchuk66 of his release,” she said. Thanking people in Jodhpur for their support, she added that she was relieved that her husband’s “ordeal of being inside the jail for 170 days” had ended.
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Angmo also spoke about the personal strain of the months-long detention. She said she had travelled to the prison twice every week for the past five months, often making the journey simply for a one-hour meeting. “My ordeal of making two trips a week every week for just a 60-minute meeting over the past five months has finally ended,” she wrote.Wangchuk, 59, had been detained on September 26 last year under the National Security Act following violent protests in Ladakh linked to demands for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The protests were organised by groups including the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.The Centre announced on Saturday that it had revoked Wangchuk’s detention with immediate effect, saying the decision was aimed at fostering “peace, stability and mutual trust” in Ladakh and facilitating dialogue with stakeholders. Police in Jodhpur confirmed he was released at around 1.30 pm after the order arrived, with Angmo present to complete the formalities.The decision came days after the Supreme Court of India adjourned a hearing to March 17 on a petition filed by Angmo challenging the detention.Just two days earlier, Wangchuk had written on X that he remained committed to activism for Ladakh but believed the region’s future required “clarity, unity and sincere dialogue”. “Our struggle has always been for Ladakh’s protection, dignity, and long-term well-being and shall continue to be,” he said.
