Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia has condemned the arrest of social activist Sonam Wangchuk, calling the Modi government’s action “shameful” and “deeply unjust.” He said Wangchuk is not a threat to the nation; rather, the real threat comes from those who jail people like him.
Manish Sisodia stressed that Prime Minister Modi has gravely wronged the nation by branding Sonam Wangchuk—a man who dedicated his life to Ladakh’s children, pioneered innovations, and taught thousands of students to become better human beings—as a danger to India. He added that if persecuting such people on false charges does not awaken the spirit of patriotism, then that patriotism itself is fake.
Expressing deep anguish over the arrest of renowned social worker Sonam Wangchuk, former Delhi Education Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said he has personally seen Sonam Wangchuk’s work up close and knows him well. “Sonam Wangchuk has done work that is admired across the world. His life itself was such an inspiration that it gave rise to the Bollywood film 3 Idiots. Yet Prime Minister Narendra Modi has branded such a person a threat to national security, jailed him, and imposed the National Security Act on him—a law reserved for terrorists and hardcore criminals,” Manish Sisodia said.
Calling Sonam Wangchuk a “brilliant teacher, environmentalist, and scientific mind,” Manish Sisodia said he was not a man of words but of action, someone who dedicated his life to the children of Ladakh. “To throw such a person in jail on the pretext of being a threat to national security, only because he was raising the voice of Ladakh’s people, is completely wrong,” he added.
Manish Sisodia recalled that the character “Phunsukh Wangdu” in 3 Idiots was modelled on Sonam Wangchuk’s life. “He is that very man, who opened schools in Ladakh where children don’t just memorize books but learn the art of living life.”
Manish Sisodia highlighted Sonam Wangchuk’s groundbreaking scientific innovations and his schools where thousands of children grew up to see education not merely as a tool for jobs or business, but as a way to become better human beings, to live in harmony with nature, and to serve the nation. “To brand such a human being a threat to the country and throw him in jail is not just disgraceful, it is a matter of deep shame. It pains us that today we are forced to live in such an India. The time has come for us to look within,” Manish Sisodia declared.
He further said that if jailing a man like Sonam Wangchuk on false charges does not awaken people’s patriotism and does not create unrest in their conscience, then their patriotism is fake and only on paper. “Patriotism is not proven by singing patriotic songs or shouting slogans at a leader’s rally. Sonam Wangchuk has devoted his life to the nation, he is a true patriot. If the government, in its arrogance, persecutes such a man and throws him in jail, then raising one’s voice against it is the real definition of patriotism,” he said.
Issuing a call to citizens across India, Manish Sisodia urged people to awaken their conscience. “If news of Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest does not disturb us, then let us accept that our patriotism is hollow and reduced only to slogans. The time has come to join our voice with Sonam Wangchuk’s. The people of this country must stand with him and tell the whole nation and the world that India stands with Sonam Wangchuk,” he asserted.
“Our country knows the true meaning of patriotism. Let us raise our voice together and say loud and clear—Sonam Wangchuk is not a threat to the nation, the real threat is from those who jail people like him,” Manish Sisodia concluded.
