“They feed animals not beggars. If the animals bite people they get homes. If beggars bite people, they get jail.”

The release of Sonam Wangchuk from Jodhpur Central Jail on March 14, marks more than the end of a detention; it is a moment that forces India to confront the uneasy balance between national security and civil liberty. Wangchuk, a 59-year-old climate...