The Centre’s decision to cancel the detention of Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk after nearly six months has drawn a sharp reaction from AAP, which said it “reveals” how individuals can be imprisoned for months “without evidence”.
AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal said Wangchuk’s case mirrors the treatment meted out by his party’s top leadership in the alleged liquor scam in Delhi, claiming they had been in jail “for months and years” on trumped-up charges.
“The Modi government has been exposed once again. A scientist and climate activist who dedicated his life to the nation has been arrested without any evidence,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
He added: “The months he spent in prison were not only a personal loss for him, but also a loss for the country. This absolute dictatorship must be eliminated and stopped immediately.”
Wangchuk was arrested on September 26 last year under the National Security Act (NSA), two days after protests over the demand for Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution rocked Leh.
More than 45 people, including 22 police officers, were injured in the protests.
He was released from Jodhpur jail around 1.30 pm on Saturday on the Centre’s order after already serving nearly half of the detention period stipulated by the NSA.
Reacting to the cancellation of Wangchuk’s detention order, Delhi Police Agency chief Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the circumstances surrounding the detention and the delay in processing the habeas corpus petition challenging him.
“About six months ago, the central government under the NSA arrested a famous scientist from Ladakh who has created countless innovations and the Indian Army and is known worldwide for educating poor children, claiming that he is a threat to national security.”
“His wife had been resisting a habeas corpus petition for months. The case had been going on for a long time and the central government kept looking for new dates with various excuses,” he alleged.
