{"id":15054,"date":"2026-03-14T12:59:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=15054"},"modified":"2026-03-14T12:59:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:59:01","slug":"india-releases-ladakh-activist-sonam-wangchuk-after-six-months-in-jail-conflict-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=15054","title":{"rendered":"India releases Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk after six months in jail | Conflict News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Wangchuk was jailed for demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 14 Mar 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">14 Mar 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" 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0h16v16H.5z\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><span class=\"google-preferred-source__text\">Add Al Jazeera on Google<\/span><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"See more of Al Jazeera\u2019s trusted journalism by adding us as a preferred source on Google.\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--primary icon--16 google-preferred-source__info-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>India has ended the preventive detention of prominent Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, freeing him six months after he was arrested over protests in the Himalayan region.<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Saturday it had decided to end Wangchuk\u2019s detention under India\u2019s National Security Act (NSA) \u201cwith immediate effect\u201d after \u201cdue consideration\u201d.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Wangchuk, 59, an environmental advocate who became a key figure in Ladakh\u2019s movement for greater autonomy, was held in September and later charged with the NSA, following protests that left four people dead and dozens wounded.<\/p>\n<p>New Delhi had blamed the violence on \u201cprovocative speeches\u201d by Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding either full federal statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities in the sparsely populated, high-altitude region bordering China and Pakistan, at the time, said the order, issued by the district magistrate of Leh, was needed to \u201cmaintain public order\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Under the NSA, a suspect can be detained for up to 12 months without being formally charged. It is not clear if the charges against Wangchuk were dropped.<\/p>\n<p>The Home Ministry said it remained \u201ccommitted to fostering an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in\u201d Ladakh and having \u201cmeaningful dialogue with all stakeholders\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Mustafa Haji, a lawyer for the Leh Apex Body \u2013 which spearheaded last year\u2019s protests \u2013 told the AFP news agency Wangchuk was released from a jail in the western city of Jodhpur on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The decision also comes as the Supreme Court continues to hear a petition filed by Wangchuk\u2019s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, challenging the legality of his detention.<\/p>\n<p>The fate of that case remains unclear now that Wangchuk has been released.<\/p>\n<p>An engineer by training, Wangchuk is best known for pioneering water conservation projects in the Himalayas. He received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 for his environmental work and contributions to reforming local schooling in Ladakh.<\/p>\n<p>His life and work are said to have inspired a character played by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan in the hugely popular movie, Three Idiots.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government split Ladakh off from Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both.<\/p>\n<p>Ladakh has since called upon New Delhi to include it in the \u201cSixth Schedule\u201d of India\u2019s constitution and to have its own local legislature to make its laws and policies.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s army maintains a large presence in Ladakh, which includes disputed border areas with China. Troops from the two countries clashed there in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wangchuk was jailed for demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Published On 14 Mar 202614 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo India has ended the preventive detention of prominent Ladakh activist Sonam [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}