Sonam Wangchuk Being Made a Scapegoat to Avoid 6th Schedule, Says Wife Gitanjali Angmo

Gitanjali Angmo, wife of jailed Ladakhi activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, has come out strongly against the recent allegations made by police officials, accusing them of spreading a “fabricated narrative” to suppress the demand for Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh and to target her husband unfairly.

In a sharp rebuttal to Ladakh Director General of Police (DGP) SD Singh Jamwal, who recently alleged Wangchuk’s links with Pakistan and questioned his international travels, Angmo said the claims were baseless and politically motivated. “We strongly condemn the Ladakh DGP’s statements. Not only I, but everyone in Ladakh denounces those allegations,” she told ANI.

Angmo described the events of September 24—when police opened fire during protests—as “very unfortunate,” and questioned the actions of the security forces. “Who gave the CRPF orders to open fire? Who shoots at their own citizens, especially in a region where there has never been a history of violent demonstrations?” she asked.

Dismissing claims that Wangchuk incited unrest, Angmo reiterated that he was engaged in a peaceful hunger strike at the time. “What could Sonam Wangchuk have instigated? He wasn’t even present at the protest site. He’s always maintained a peaceful, Gandhian approach.”

She alleged that the authorities are deliberately trying to make someone a scapegoat to divert attention from the real issue—the demand for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. “Whatever the DGP is saying, he has an agenda. They don’t want to implement the Sixth Schedule under any circumstances,” she said.

Responding to the DGP’s comments about Wangchuk’s visits to Pakistan, Angmo clarified that these trips were related to climate change conferences organized by the United Nations. “The Himalayas don’t recognise borders. Climate change affects everyone, whether the glacier melts into Pakistan or India,” she said.

The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent voice for sustainable development and autonomy in Ladakh, has sparked outrage among locals and activists, with growing calls for transparency, justice, and implementation of long-promised safeguards.