India releases Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk after six months in jail

Wangchuk was jailed for demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities.Published On 14 Mar 2026India 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.The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Saturday it had decided to end Wangchuk’s detention under India’s National Security Act (NSA) “with immediate effect” after “due consideration”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Indian police arrest Ladakh activist after deadly protestslist 2 of 4How Ladakh protest leader Sonam Wangchuk went from Indian hero to ‘traitor’list 3 of 4‘Bloodiest day’: How Gen-Z protest wave hit India’s Ladakh, killing fourlist 4 of 4Protests seeking statehood in India’s Ladakh turn deadlyend of listWangchuk, 59, an environmental advocate who became a key figure in Ladakh’s movement for greater autonomy, was held in September and later charged with the NSA, following protests that left four people dead and dozens wounded.New Delhi had blamed the violence on “provocative speeches” 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.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 “maintain public order”.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.The Home Ministry said it remained “committed to fostering an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in” Ladakh and having “meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders”.Mustafa Haji, a lawyer for the Leh-apex-body" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="44258" data-entity-type="organization">Leh Apex Body – which spearheaded last year’s protests – told the AFP news agency Wangchuk was released from a jail in the western city of Jodhpur on Saturday.