• Source:JND
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Sonam Wangchuk Arrested:  Gitanjali Angmo, wife of jailed activist Sonam Wangchuk, has refuted claims that he has any “links” with Pakistan or has misappropriated funds through his organisations, while attributing the violent escalation of statehood protests in Leh to the security forces.

Sonam Wangchuk’s wife said that he has been protesting for years in the “most Gandhian way possible”, but the situation escalated on September 24, “due to the actions of CRPF”, the Central Reserve Police Force, which claimed the lives of four people. The police, however, claimed that they acted in “self-defence” after protestors turned violent and even set the local office of the ruling BJP on fire.

Angmo revealed that she has not been able to communicate with her husband since his detention. She also stated that she had not been shown detention orders since Wangchuk was taken into custody on Friday under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), two days after the protests demanding Sixth Schedule status and statehood turned violent. Wangchuk was taken into custody on Friday and is currently in Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan.

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Angmo Refutes Police Claims Of “Pakistan Links”

On a phone interview with news agency PTI, Gitanjali Angmo, co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), strongly responded to Ladakh UT police chief SD Singh Jamwal’s claims that Wangchuk is under police investigation over his Pakistan “links”, including a visit to the neighbouring country for an event organised by the media group Dawn.

Angmo clarified that her husband’s visit to Paskitan was strictly professional and focused on climate issues. She added that all of Wangchuk’s visits to foreign countries were made at the invitation of reputable universities and institutions.

“We attended a conference organised by the United Nations, and it was on climate change. The glacier on the top of the Himalayas is not going to see whether it's flowing into Pakistan or India,” PTI quoted Angmo as saying.

“I was also there to present a paper on women's role in climate change... In fact, he (Wangchuk) praised Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi on stage at the event,” she added.

Angmo Defends HIAL Against Financial Misconduct Allegations

Responding to allegations of financial irregularities involving their institutions, Angmo presented a detailed rebuttal. She denied the claims that the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL) received foreign donations without the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) clearance, explaining that the funds in question were the payments for their technologies.

“We have the service agreements, which say this is a consulting assignment that we're giving to HIAL for which we will be paying,” Sonam Wangchuk’s wife said.

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Angmo further explained that HIAL does not charge any fees from its 400 students and raises its costs through innovative projects such as ice stupas and passive solar buildings. She further said that the institution does not patent its technologies, keeping them available for public benefit.

Following the violence in Leh on September 24, the Union Home Ministry cancelled the FCRA license granted to the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), citing alleged financial irregularities.