“Prepared to stay in jail until inquiry”: Wangchuk

Jailed activist Sonam Wangchuk has urged the people of Ladakh to maintain peace and unity while continuing the struggle for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards through non-violent, Gandhian methods, his lawyer said on Sunday.

Wangchuk conveyed the message via Haji Mustafa, legal advisor of the Leh Apex Body, who visited him in Jodhpur jail along with the activist’s elder brother Ka Tsetan Dorjey Ley on Saturday.

He stressed that unless an independent judicial inquiry is ordered into the killing of four people during the September 24 violence, “I am prepared to stay in jail.” Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, two days after protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status turned violent, leaving four dead and many injured. Authorities have accused him of inciting the unrest.

The Supreme Court will hear a plea on Monday filed by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, challenging his detention and seeking his immediate release.

“I am doing well physically and mentally and thank everyone for their concern and prayers. My heartfelt condolences go to the families of those who lost their lives, and my prayers are with those injured or arrested,” Wangchuk said, according to Mustafa, who shared the activist’s message on social media.

He reaffirmed his support for the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, stating, “I stand firmly with the people of Ladakh in our genuine constitutional demand for Sixth Schedule and statehood.”

Wangchuk appealed to citizens to continue the struggle peacefully, saying, “Keep peace and unity and continue our struggle in the true Gandhian way of non-violence.”

While the Ladakh administration has ordered a magisterial probe into the violence, the Apex Body and KDA have decided to stay away from talks with the Centre scheduled for October 6 until a judicial inquiry is conducted and all detained activists, including Wangchuk, are released.