Why the govt decided to release Sonam Wangchuk, what it earlier said on him and Ladakh agitation: Explained

THe unification Ministry of place Affairs on sabbatum revoked the custody of Ladakhi activistic Sonam Wangchuk, under the National Security Act (NSA), citing a need to facilitate dialogue in the region, which has been demanding greater autonomy and climate protections within the Indian Constitution.Wangchuk, 58, has been held at the Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan since September 26, 2025 — nearly six months — after ongoing protests in Ladakh turned violent in the UT's main city Leh, where four people died and over 160 were injured.The decision on Saturday came while the Supreme Court has been hearing a habeas corpus petition challenging his incarceration.The government had consistently maintained he “instigated” the unrest.On Saturday, though, it said it needed to release him to ensure peace and an end to “atmosphere of bandhs and protests” in Ladakh.Sajjad Kargili, leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) that collaborates with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) for Ladakh’s demands, reacted: “The revocation of NSA against Shri Sonam Wangchuk is a welcome move. However, our struggle of our legitimate rights continues.”He demanded that activists Deldan Namgial and Smanla Dorjey also be released and “all charges against those detained on 24 Sept be dropped unconditionally”.What the government said on release decisionIn a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau, the MHA acknowledged the broader toll his continued detention was taking on Ladakh's civil society."The prevailing atmosphere of bandhs and protests has been detrimental to the peace-loving character of the society and has adversely affected various sections of the community, including students, job aspirants, businesses, tour operators and tourists and overall economy," the ministry stated.The government said it "remains committed to fostering an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in Ladakh so as to facilitate constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders”.The statement noted that Wangchuk "has already undergone nearly half of the period of detention" under the Act — the NSA permits detention for up to 12 months — and reaffirmed commitment to resolving Ladakh's concerns "through constructive engagement and dialogue, including through the mechanism of the High-Powered Committee as well as other appropriate platforms”.What the NSA isThe National Security Act, 1980, is a preventive detention law that empowers the central and state governments to detain an individual without trial if authorities believe the person is likely to act in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India, the relations of India with foreign powers, or the security of India”.Unlike ordinary arrest, which requires a criminal charge and a trial, the NSA allows detention purely on the basis of anticipated threat. That makes it one of the most sweeping provisions in Indian law. The maximum period of detention is 12 months, though it may be revoked earlier, as has now occurred in Wangchuk's case.What the government argued in court on WangchukThe government's detention of Wangchuk was defended vigorously before the Supreme Court by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj over several months of hearings.The Centre alleged Wangchuk bore direct responsibility for the violence that erupted in Leh on September 24, 2025, in which, according to ASG Nataraj, four people died and 161 were injured.The Centre and the Ladakh union territory administration told the court that Wangchuk was detained for instigating people in a sensitive border area where regional sensitivity was involved.The Centre also alleged that Wangchuk tried to “instigate Gen Z”, a reference to those in their 20s, for protests similar to those seen in Nepal and Bangladesh. It noted that Wangchuk had referred to an “Arab Spring-like” agitation. SG Mehta had told the court there was a "stark distinction between Wangchuk's speech and Gandhian principles — it's chalk and cheese”.The government recently also assured the court there was nothing medically alarming about Wangchuk's condition. He was taken to AIIMS Jodhpur in January for tests.What his wife Gitanjali said: ‘Fear not peace’Wangchuk's wife, Dr Gitanjali Angmo, filed a habeas corpus petition under Article 32 of the Constitution before the Supreme Court challenging the detention as illegal and unconstitutional. The plea contended that the detention order was founded upon "stale FIRs, vague imputations, and speculative assertions", and lacked any connection to the stated grounds of detention.Angmo also alleged a "witch-hunt”, pointing out that the government had, in the period around his arrest, cancelled the 40-year lease of his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, withdrawn a funding licence of his NGO, initiated a CBI inquiry, and issued Income Tax summons.Angmo noted that Wangchuk had publicly condemned the violence on September 24, 2025, through social media, calling it the saddest day of his life. He had also said that violence would undo Ladakh's five years of peaceful "tapasya" (struggle) for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections.Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, arguing on Angmo's behalf, alleged the police had relied on "borrowed, selective videos" to mislead the detaining authority. He pointed to discrepancies between the allegedly “inciteful” statements cited in the detention order, and the translated speeches the Centre had placed before the court.The Supreme Court bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale was to watch videos of Wangchuk's speeches during the Holi vacation and was scheduled to reserve orders on March 17. The Centre’s decision comes three days before that.In a recent X post, Gitanjali Angmo wrote that “fear is not peace”. She said the government's lawyers have been claiming in the SC that Ladakh is peaceful after Wangchuk's detention. “This cannot be farther from the truth,” she said, terming it “a logical fallacy” as correlation need not be causation.“Secondly, it was not peace that followed — it was dread that was cultivated: curfew and internet blackout was enforced for weeks after September 24, 100+ youth jailed for months (some still inside), 4 young men shot dead heartlessly under Government orders by CRPF, social media posts attract police summons and hours of interrogation till date,” she said.“The dreaded silence of the graveyard is not equal to sacred peace of the temple that Ladakh was known for!” her X post read.