NEW DELHI: Ladakhi innovator and activist Sonam Wangchuk, said to be the inspiration behind the endearing Phunsuk Wangdu’s character essayed by Aamir Khan in the movie ‘Three Idiots’, has over the years acquired a reputation as much for his political activism as for his work in education and climate action.Described variously as an innovator, activist and climate warrior, Wangchuk’s journey into political activism has been gradual, shaped by his concerns over Ladakh’s environment, resources, education system and constitutional safeguards for the region.Born in 1966 in a village near Leh, Sonam Wangchuk was homeschooled until he was nine.His father, Sonam Wangyal, became a minister in the then Jammu and Kashmir government in 1975, following which the family moved to Srinagar.Wangchuk later studied engineering at NIT Srinagar and obtained another degree from the CRATerre School of Architecture in Grenoble, France.His activism began with education reform.In 1988, Wangchuk co-founded the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh to reform the region’s education system.He argued that Ladakhi children were being unfairly labelled poor performers because they struggled with textbooks designed for other regions.In the coming years, his activism gradually expanded into environmental and political issues. Four months after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Wangchuk released a video thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making Ladakh a Union territory, but accompanied his praise with a warning.“People here have started asking whether UT status was granted to exploit Ladakh’s vast resources, and whether our resources will be exploited the way China does in Tibet,” Wangchuk said, urging the Centre to safeguard the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.In January 2023, he announced a five-day climate fast at Khardung La, one of the world’s highest passes, where winter temperatures plunge to minus 40 degrees Celsius.However, the administration prevented him from reaching the site, forcing him to pitch a tent in Leh instead.The protest, which included political speeches, music, solidarity gatherings and anti-establishment rap, helped galvanise his campaign.A year later, in October 2024, Wangchuk ended another 16-day fast only after the Union home ministry agreed to resume talks with Ladakhi organisations.When negotiations subsequently stalled, he launched a new 35-day hunger strike on September 10, demanding statehood for Ladakh along with Sixth Schedule safeguards.“It’s possible that we might die. If we survive, we will return for another hunger strike of six weeks,” he had declared.Wangchuk’s activism and Ladakh’s political discourse have since run parallel. The roots of the region’s present political turmoil can be traced to the 2020 Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council polls, when most political parties called for a poll boycott until Sixth Schedule protection was granted.By 2021, the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance had emerged, bringing together religious and political groups to demand safeguards for Ladakh’s indigenous people.Although Wangchuk acted independently, both organisations supported his campaign.His activism eventually brought him into direct conflict with the government.Following a serious law-and-order situation in Leh on September 24, 2025, Wangchuk was detained on September 26 under the provisions of the National Security Act (NSA), pursuant to an order issued by the District Magistrate of Leh.As per news agency PTI, he was taken into preventive custody with the stated objective of maintaining public order and was later transferred to a prison in Jodhpur.The detention was challenged by his wife, Gitanjali Angmo, in the Supreme Court.The court first took up the petition on October 6 and issued notice to the authorities.During subsequent proceedings, the government told the court that Wangchuk’s remarks had encouraged young people to organise protests similar to movements in Nepal and Bangladesh and that he had referred to an uprising similar to the Arab Spring.The government argued that such statements could trigger instability in the strategically sensitive border region and also linked him to the violence in Leh on September 24, which left four people dead and more than 160 injured.The Supreme Court questioned whether Wangchuk’s speeches and social media posts could legitimately be interpreted as provocative and linked to the Leh violence.It also asked the Centre whether it could reconsider or review his detention, noting that “his medical condition is not that good.”The Centre eventually revoked Wangchuk’s detention under the NSA with immediate effect.The Ministry of Home Affairs said the decision was taken after due consideration and reiterated the government’s commitment to fostering peace, stability and mutual trust in Ladakh and resolving the region’s concerns through constructive engagement and dialogue.Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur Central Jail on March 14, this year following the government’s order.The MHA said he had already undergone nearly half of the period of detention under the NSA. His release, however, did not mark the end of his activism.Wangchuk later became part of the protest movement at Jantar Mantar, where he began an indefinite hunger strike on June 28 over alleged examination irregularities and the NEET-UG paper leak.He was removed from Jantar Mantar early Saturday and taken to VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital as his hunger strike against alleged irregularities in the NEET examination entered Day 21.Wangchuk was removed from the stage 48 hours before his planned march to Parliament on Monday which witnessed a massive clash between the protestors and the police personnel deployed at the site.(With agency inputs)
