New Delhi, March 14, 2026: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Friday described the Centre’s sudden revocation of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under the National Security Act (NSA) as “heartening”, but sharply questioned the Modi government’s handling of the case, asking who will be held accountable for the nearly six months the Ladakhi leader spent in jail.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gehlot said the development “raises serious questions about the functioning of the Modi government at the Center”. He pointed out the irony: “The same individual, who just a few months ago was branded a ‘threat to national security’ and thrown behind bars, is now suddenly being released—meaning no evidence was found against him.”
Gehlot further asked: “Who will account for the 170 days of his detention? Why was he arrested in the first place? Will the definition of national security now be dictated by the BJP’s political gains and losses?” He criticised what he called the “convenient use” of stringent laws and “authoritarian tendencies”, terming it a “deep blow to the credibility of our democratic institutions”.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the revocation on Saturday, stating it exercised its powers under the NSA to withdraw the detention order with immediate effect. Wangchuk was arrested on September 26, 2025 — two days after violent protests erupted in Leh on September 24 — and lodged in the high-security Central Jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, far from his home in Ladakh. The detention was ordered by the Leh District Magistrate citing the need to maintain public order after clashes that left four people dead and several injured during a long-running agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The government described Wangchuk, a renowned education reformer and climate activist known for building artificial ice stupas to combat glacial melt, as the “chief provocateur” behind the unrest. He was held without trial for nearly half the maximum one-year period permitted under the NSA.
In its statement today, the MHA said the revocation aims “to restore peace and enable constructive dialogue with stakeholders in Ladakh”. It noted that prolonged bandhs and protests had harmed students, job aspirants, businesses, tourists and the local economy, and reiterated the Centre’s commitment to addressing Ladakh’s aspirations through a High-Powered Committee and other platforms.
Gehlot had raised similar concerns immediately after the arrest in September 2025. Speaking in Udaipur, he had questioned why a known supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was treated like a “terrorist” and shifted to a distant prison in Jodhpur, criticising the government’s handling of the Ladakh unrest and demanding Wangchuk’s immediate release.
The case had triggered widespread protests across states, with opposition parties accusing the Centre of misusing the NSA to suppress dissent. Wangchuk’s detention also drew international attention, with civil society groups and activists highlighting his decades-long work on environmental conservation and education in the fragile Himalayan region.
Reacting to today’s development, Gehlot urged the government to reflect on its approach, saying the public is well aware of such “double standards”. The release comes ahead of a scheduled Supreme Court hearing on a petition challenging the detention and amid sustained calls from Ladakh groups and opposition leaders for dialogue and amnesty.
The Centre has so far not responded to Gehlot’s latest remarks.
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