Officials yet to give a copy of detention order, no contact with Sonam Wangchuk, says his wife

A day after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and taken to Jodhpur in Rajasthan, his wife said she was yet to get a copy of the order or speak to her husband.

Gitanjali Angmo, Mr. Wangchuk’s wife, told The Hindu that she was told by the police on September 26, the day he was detained from his village, that they would make her speak to Mr. Wangchuk once he reached Jodhpur.

‘No response from police’

“It has been more than 24 hours. We do not know how he is. They have not even given us a copy of the detention order. The police officials are not responding to my calls. If I do not hear from them for another day, I will move court,” said Ms. Angmo, who is the co-founder of Himalayan Institute of Alternate Studies (HIAL) in Ladakh, whose land registration was cancelled last month and which is also being probed for foreign funds rule violation.

Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and co-convenor of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), spearheading the movement to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh for the past five years, said they have requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to ensure that Mr. Wangchuk is not harmed in any way.

NSA enables detention of an individual for up to a year based on executive orders and without a trial in the court of law on the grounds of threat to national security or to prevent him/ her from disrupting public order.

The civil society leader questioned the police theory about “foreign involvement” in the protests and said several members of the youth wing and the vice-president of the LBA surrendered in the court on Saturday. He reiterated the demand for judicial inquiry into the deaths.

No anti-national views: Lakruk

“They are saying Nepalese people instigated the violence. Many Nepalese citizens live and work here. Even if the theory is true, how could a foreigner mobilise 5,000 young people in two days when all the security agencies are stationed here? The Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Army, all are posted here. Leh is a small city, it can be tracked easily. There was no anti-national sentiment here, it was just the frustration of the youth. They were angry and torched the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office,” Mr. Lakruk said.

Mr. Wangchuk and 15 others were on the 15th day of their 35-day hunger strike in Leh when violent protests erupted on September 24 leading to the death of four civilians and injuries to 140 people.

LAB had earlier said the youth wing called for a shutdown after two elderly protestors were hospitalised on September 23, following which an unprecedented number of youth joined the protest site on September 24.

Two Congress councillors, Stanzin Tsepaq from Upper Leh and Smanla Dorje Nurboo from Saspol, were among 12 people who surrendered in the court on Saturday.

While all others were sent to judicial custody, the Congress councillors and two others — Rigzin Dorjey, vice-president, LBA and Tsewang Dorjey, village head of Tinmozgang — were sent to police custody.

Shafi Lassu, president of Leh Bar Association, said the police has registered a case under Sections 192 (rioting), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and arrested over 40 people. “They have even booked labourers from Bihar and Doda (J&K) and labelled them as rioters,” Mr. Lassu said.