Tuesday, 01 October 2024
Tuesday, 01 October 2024
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and several others who were detained at the Delhi border while marching to the capital to demand Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh on Tuesday launched an indefinite fast at police stations where they have been kept.
The march, known as the ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra,’ began on September 1 from Leh, led by Wangchuk and supported by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
These groups have been pushing for statehood, protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a public service commission, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil. But as Wangchuk’s convoy approached the capital on September 30, they were stopped and detained by Delhi Police in what Opposition leaders have called an 'undemocratic' move.
Shortly before being detained, Wangchuk shared visuals from the Delhi border on Instagram, where police stopped their buses. "As we are approaching Delhi, it appears we are not being escorted, we are being detained," Wangchuk said.
Citing concerns over law and order, Delhi police on September 30 banned the gathering of five or more people in central Delhi and surrounding areas just as the protesters neared the capital.
An order from Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora invoked Section 163 (previously Section 144) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibiting protests for six days.
Opposition leaders criticised the Modi government’s handling of the situation. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called the detention of Wangchuk and the Ladakhi protesters 'unacceptable.'
In a post on X , Gandhi wrote: "The detention of Sonam Wangchuk ji and hundreds of Ladakhis peacefully marching for environmental and constitutional rights is unacceptable."
He also questioned why elderly citizens were being detained at the Delhi border. “Modi ji, like with the farmers, this 'Chakravyuh' will be broken, and so will your arrogance. You will have to listen to Ladakh's voice.”
AAP leader Manish Sisodia questioned the BJP’s priorities in Delhi. "I don’t understand what Amit Shah, PM Modi, and the BJP are doing. In Delhi, the BJP has provided complete protection to gangsters while treating people like Sonam Wangchuk, who love the country, as terrorists. The kind of force the BJP is using against Sonam Wangchuk should have been used to stop the gangsters in Delhi," Sisodia said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Gandhi’s sentiments, accusing the Modi government of arrogance and undemocratic behaviour. "The arrogance of the Modi government, consumed in power, has detained a group of citizens from Ladakh peacefully marching to Delhi," Kharge said.
He also pointed out the public support for Wangchuk's demands in Ladakh, stating, "Instead, the Modi government wants to exploit the ecologically sensitive Himalayan glaciers of Ladakh to benefit its crony friends."
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal connected the event to Gandhi’s ideals on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. “A day before Gandhi Jayanti, the government of India is out to kill his ideals once again. The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk ji shows the government is scared of anyone who speaks up for their rights,” Venugopal said. He accused the BJP of attempting to silence Ladakh and hand the region over to corporate, warning that such 'petty acts of cowardice' wouldn’t stop those on a Gandhian mission.
This is not the first time Wangchuk has tried to draw attention to Ladakh’s cause. In March 2024, he went on a 21-day fast, demanding statehood and protections against industries looking to exploit Ladakh’s sensitive landscape.
