Srinagar: Director General of Police of Ladakh, S D Singh Jamwal, on Saturday claimed that Sonam Wangchuk was being probed for alleged links with Pakistan during last year's agitation over the incorporation of the Sixth Schedule in the Constitution to give more rights to the Union Territory of Ladakh. He disclosed that the police had arrested a Pakistani intelligence operative last month, who was found sending videos of his protests across to his mentors in Pakistan.
About The Arrest Of Climate Activist Sonam Wangchuk
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday, and he provoked youth to violence demanding statehood for the Union Territory, which resulted in the deaths of four youths and injuries to 80 others on Wednesday last, DG Jamwal said. Wangchuk was on hunger strike over the inclusion of the Sixth Schedule and the restoration of statehood for Ladakh after it was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir and shaped as a UT on August 5 2019. Ladakhis have been demanding a separate region for themselves, which could be under direct control of New Delhi for decades.
Two days after the violence, Leh police detained Wangchuk near his residence under the NSA, 1980, which allows detention for up to 12 months without trial. The Ramon Magsaysay awardee was later moved to Jodhpur Central Jail. Since Ladakh gained separate UT status in 2019, the Public Safety Act, 1978, could not be invoked against Sonam Wangchuk. "What has been found in the investigation (against Wangchuk) cannot be disclosed at this moment. The process is going on, and if you look at his profile and history, it is all available on YouTube. His speech worked as an instigation as he talked about the Arab Spring and the recent unrest in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka," the DGP claimed.
The police chief also cited some of Wangchuk's foreign visits and termed them as suspicious. "He attended an event by The Dawn in Pakistan and also visited Bangladesh," DG Jamwal told the media. The Ladakh administration defended its decision to shift Wangchuck to Jodhpur jail, claiming that he was “indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State” and that keeping him in Leh was “not advisable in the larger public interest.” Following Wangchuk's arrest, authorities suspended mobile internet services in Leh, where curfew remains in place for a fourth straight day.
"There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in Ladakh during the past 24 hours. The restrictions are in place to maintain law and order," an official said. Patrolling and checking by police and paramilitary forces in the sensitive areas have been intensified, while raids are also underway to nab the absconding rioters, including a councillor who allegedly instigated the violence. An official said the episode could have been avoided had Wangchuk called off his hunger strike once dialogue with the government had resumed.
The Home Ministry has also alleged that Wangchuk’s references to the 'Arab Spring' and Nepal's 'Gen Z protests' fuelled mob anger that led to the torching of the local BJP office in Leh and several government vehicles. The Ministry of Home Affairs subsequently cancelled the FCRA licence of Wangchuk’s NGO, the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), citing alleged violations, including foreign fund transfers from Sweden.
The CBI is also probing alleged FCRA violations linked to the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), whose land allotment was recently revoked. Wangchuk, however, denied the allegations and called it a “witch hunt” “This all is happening because of what we are demanding – 6th Schedule and statehood. It comes between us and the corporates, who are eyeing a huge chunk of land in Ladakh. Our prime pasture lands are being given to corporates and when I started raising my voice, they were after me,” the climate activist said.
