New Delhi, Mar 14: The Centre’s decision to revoke the detention of Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk after almost six months has drawn sharp reaction from the AAP, which said that it “exposes” how individuals can be jailed for months, “without evidence”.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the case of Wangchuk mirrors the treatment meted out to his party’s top leadership in the alleged Delhi liquor scam, claiming they were kept in jail “for months and years” under fabricated charges.
“The Modi government stands exposed once again. A scientist and climate activist who had dedicated his life to the nation was arrested without any evidence,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
“The months he spent in jail were not only a personal loss for him but also a loss to the country. This sheer dictatorship must be called out and stopped immediately,” he added.
Wangchuk was detained on September 26 last year under the National Security Act (NSA), two days after protests over demands for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution rocked Leh.
More than 45 people, including 22 police personnel, were injured in the protests.
He was released from a Jodhpur jail around 1.30 pm on Saturday following an order from the Centre after already undergoing nearly half of the detention period stipulated under the NSA.
Reacting to the revocation of Wangchuk’s detention order, Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the circumstances surrounding the detention and the delay in addressing a habeas corpus petition challenging it.
“About six months ago, a renowned scientist from Ladakh who has made countless innovations for Ladakh and the Indian Army and is known around the world for educating poor children was arrested by the Central government under the NSA, claiming that he was a threat to national security,” Bharadwaj said.
“His wife has been fighting a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court for months. The case had been going on for a long time, and the Central government kept seeking new dates with different excuses,” he alleged.
