Sonam Wangchuk shares jail experience, calls it space for isolation and thought
Leh, March 18, KNT: Describing his time in custody as a “different experience”, Ladakh-based innovator and activist Sonam Wangchuk said the jail environment suited him as it provided isolation and time for reading and writing.
“Everyone should go to jail once for experience, but not for theft, murder or other crimes. It should be for fighting for the rights of others,” Wangchuk told reporters shortly after his release.
Reflecting on his stay, he said the conditions allowed him to focus inward. “It was a different experience to be in jail. The environment suited me as I like isolation, reading and writing,” he added.
Sonam Wangchuk was lodged in Jodhpur Jail (Rajasthan) after being detained under stringent provisions of the National Security Act (NSA), a preventive detention law that allows authorities to hold individuals without formal charges for reasons related to national security or public order.
The use of the NSA — typically reserved for serious threats — triggered sharp criticism from civil society groups, activists and supporters.
Critics termed the detention unjustified and excessive, arguing that Wangchuk’s actions were peaceful and within the democratic right to protest. They said invoking a stringent law like the NSA in such a case raised concerns about disproportionate use of power and suppression of dissent.
Supporters had also questioned the necessity of transferring him outside Ladakh to a jail in Jodhpur, calling it an additional hardship and legally questionable step. Majority in Leh viewed the arrest as an authoritative style of ruling BJP government.
Wangchuk’s remarks focused on the personal dimension of his time in custody, highlighting how the experience offered a break from routine and an opportunity for reflection.
He indicated that the period of confinement gave him time to engage with reading and writing, activities he said he prefers in solitude.
Wangchuk was arrested following protests in Leh, where authorities accused him of instigating unrest. However, he had strongly denied these charged, calling them fabricated. [KNT]
