Jaipur, March 14, 2026
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday criticised the Centre over the arrest and subsequent release of Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, saying the episode raises serious questions about the functioning of the government.
Welcoming Wangchuk’s release, Gehlot said the activist had been detained under the stringent provisions of the National Security Act after raising his voice for the rights of the people of Ladakh and for environmental protection.
He questioned how a person who had been labelled a “threat to national security” and kept in Jodhpur Central Jail for months could now be released.
“If no evidence was ultimately found against him, then who will be held accountable for the nearly 170 days he spent in custody? Why was he arrested in the first place?” Gehlot asked.
The senior Congress leader also wondered whether the definition of “national security” was now being determined by the political interests of the ruling dispensation.
“Such convenient use of stringent laws reflects an authoritarian mindset and undermines the credibility of democratic institutions. The people of the country are closely watching this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sonam Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur Central Jail on Saturday after the Centre revoked the provisions of the National Security Act invoked against him earlier.
Following the withdrawal of the NSA, prison authorities completed the formalities for his release. His wife, Geetanjali Wangchuk, arrived at the jail in the morning to receive him, and the couple walked out of the prison premises together after completing the necessary paperwork.
According to reports, Geetanjali reached the jail around 10 a.m. and completed the administrative procedures required for Wangchuk’s release. The couple left the premises between 1 p.m. and 1.15 p.m. in a private vehicle.
Jail officials did not disclose Wangchuk’s onward travel plans, and it remains unclear whether he will leave Jodhpur by air, train or road.
Wangchuk had been detained under the National Security Act following violence that broke out in Leh on September 24, 2025, when he was on a hunger strike over issues related to Ladakh.
Two days later, on September 26, authorities invoked the NSA and took him into custody, after which he was lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail.(Agency)
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