The Centre has revoked activist Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under the National Security Act after nearly six months in custody. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena welcomed the move but stressed that protests will not be tolerated and urged dialogue to resolve issues.
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Saturday welcomed the Central government’s decision to revoke the detention of activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA). The development comes after Wangchuk spent nearly six months in custody following protests in Ladakh that had turned violent last year.
According to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Saxena said the decision to release Wangchuk could help improve the situation in the Union Territory and restore calm. In a post shared on social media platform X, the LG’s office stated that Saxena described the revocation of Wangchuk’s detention as a
“positive step” that would help foster “an environment of peace, stability and mutual trust in Ladakh”.
However, the Lieutenant Governor also made it clear that authorities would not tolerate protests or violence in the region. He emphasized that “there is no space for agitation and violence in Ladakh” and said that issues raised by residents should be resolved peacefully through dialogue. According to him, the concerns of the people would be addressed
“through dialogue with stakeholders, community leaders and citizens”.
Leaders of local organisations in Ladakh also reacted to the Centre’s decision. Tsering Dorjay Lakrook, co-chairman of the Leh Apex Body and president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, welcomed the move and said it was encouraging news for the region and its people.
“I believe this is good news for the people of Ladakh. Secondly, it also marks a personal victory for Sonam Wangchuk. We have been asserting from the very beginning that the allegations levelled against him were completely baseless, something the government failed to prove in the Supreme Court,”
Lakrook said, according to news agency.
Another leader from the region, Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, also welcomed the revocation of the NSA order but stressed that the broader political movement in Ladakh would continue.
He said,
“The revocation of NSA against Shri Sonam Wangchuk is a welcome move. However, our struggle of our legitimate rights continues.”
Kargili further demanded the release of other activists who were detained during the protests. He called for the immediate release of activists Deldan Namgial and Smanla Dorjey and asked authorities to drop all charges against people arrested during the demonstrations. He also urged the government to withdraw the cases “unconditionally”.
Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known engineer, education reformer and activist, had been detained since September 26, 2025. The 58-year-old was lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan after authorities invoked the National Security Act against him.
His detention followed large protests in Ladakh that escalated into violence in Leh, the region’s main city. The clashes led to the deaths of four people and left more than 160 others injured. At the time, authorities accused Wangchuk of allegedly instigating the unrest that led to the violence.
The Centre’s decision to revoke the detention came while the Supreme Court of India was hearing a habeas corpus petition challenging Wangchuk’s continued incarceration under the NSA.
In an official statement issued by the Press Information Bureau, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said that the prolonged protests had begun affecting normal life in Ladakh and had also impacted the local economy.
“The prevailing atmosphere of bandhs and protests has been detrimental to the peace-loving character of the society and has adversely affected various sections of the community, including students, job aspirants, businesses, tour operators and tourists and overall economy,”
the ministry said.
The government also stated that it remains committed to restoring peace and building trust in the region so that discussions with local stakeholders can move forward in a constructive manner.
The statement further noted that Wangchuk had already completed nearly half of the maximum detention period allowed under the National Security Act, which permits preventive detention for up to 12 months. The revocation of the NSA order is expected to ease tensions in the region and open the door for dialogue between the government and representatives of Ladakh’s civil society groups.
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