Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest sparks Opposition outrage over Ladakh handling

LeH (Ladakh): Activist Sonam Wangchuk, accused of “inciting violence” during protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and inclusion in the sixth schedule of the Constitution, has been arrested, confirmed his family on Friday.

This comes two days after a demonstration demanding statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the sixth schedule had turned violent and targeted the BJP office in Leh and a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of Wangchuk’s Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) over alleged violations of the act.

The opposition launched attacks on the BJP-led Government following Wangchuk’s arrest, with the Congress party accusing it of “mishandling” the situation in Ladakh. At the same time, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal termed his arrest as “dictatorship.”

The Indian National Congress launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP, claiming that this has been done to “divert attention and responsibility” from the BJP’s “abysmal failure” to maintain law and order in Ladakh.

In a social media post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote, “The Indian National Congress condemns the arrest of noted environmentalist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act. This has been done to divert attention and responsibility from the BJP’s abysmal failure to maintain law and order and ensure security of life and property in the Union Territory of Ladakh.”

The Congress further accused the BJP of “deceiving” the people of Ladakh, asking it to engage with the people of Ladakh in sincerity and with alacrity.

The social media post read, “The crux of the issue is that the BJP has deceived the people of Ladakh for years. It promised the region Sixth Schedule status in the 2020 Leh Hill Council Elections and has gone back on that promise with a vengeance. It claimed that it gave Ladakh autonomy from the larger Jammu and Kashmir, but has really ended all semblance of democracy in the Union Territory.”

“The Modi Government cannot brush these issues away or suppress them by arresting Mr. Wangchuk. It needs to engage with the people of Ladakh in sincerity and with alacrity,” it added.

Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir accused the Centre of “mishandling” the situation while denying his party’s role in the September 24 violence in Leh. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

“I just got to know that he (Sonam Wangchuk) has been arrested. He is a respectable man who has dedicated himself to the cause of Ladakh. This is an unwanted step. The people of Ladakh have long been renowned for their peaceful nature. A group of activists has been protesting for the last 6 years. Among these activists, two fell severely ill. Looking at this, the youth got agitated…The government has shared a photo showing a Congress councillor allegedly instigating people. The Congress councillor has challenged it, saying that it was not him. No Congress worker had any involvement in this violence. The local Congress unit has demanded a judicial inquiry into the whole incident. It is wrong to blame Congress. The govt there mishandled the whole incident,” Mir said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the reports of Wangchuk’s arrest an “unfortunate” step; however, he also said that the move wasn’t unexpected, as the Central government had been “after him since yesterday.”

Speaking to reporters, Abdullah criticised the Central government for failing to fulfil the promises they had made to the people of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

“He was arrested? It is unfortunate. Given the way the central government has been after them since yesterday, it seemed like something like this might happen. They were made promises, just like we were. Now I don’t understand what compels the central government to renege on promises it makes…” the Chief Minister said.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also reacted to reports of police arresting Ladakh activist, two days after violence broke out during protests in Leh.

Expressing concerns, Kejriwal criticised the Central government’s handling of the situation, calling its actions “oppressive and dictatorial.”

Drawing parallels with mythological and historical figures, he posted on X, “Ravana’s end also came. Kansa’s end also came. Hitler’s and Mussolini’s end also came. And today, people hate all those individuals. Today in our country, dictatorship is at its peak. The end of those who practice dictatorship and arrogance is very bad.”

Former Delhi Minister and AAP leader, Saurabh Bharadwaj, also launched an attack on the ruling BJP over reports of Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest, claiming that the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk shows that the “end of the BJP’s central government is approaching.”

He further alleged that the BJP government sees every movement as the “doom” of their power and hence is taking such actions.

“Fear is good. The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk shows that the BJP’s central government is seeing its end approaching. Just as Kansa was seeing his end, hearing it, and out of fear, considered every child of Devaki as his doom. Similarly, today the BJP government sees every movement as the doom of their power. This fear is visible on their social media handles. This fear is good,” Bharadwaj posted on X.

Following the violent protests, prohibitions under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 were imposed in Leh. Assembling five or more persons is prohibited in the district. No procession, rally or march to be carried out without prior written approval.

A demonstration demanding statehood for Ladakh and inclusion of the Union Territory under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution had turned violent and targeted the BJP office in Leh on Wednesday, September 24.

Prohibitions under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNS), 2023, continued to be imposed in Leh on Friday, with a ban on the assembly of five or more persons in the district.

Earlier, Wangchuk had said on Thursday that “he would be happy to be arrested” because it would make people aware of the issue.

“After violence, all the blame was put on Sonam Wangchuk. I also got information that a case under the Public Safety Act is being prepared against me, which would allow them to jail me for up to two years without trial or bail… I would be happy to be arrested anytime because it will make people more aware, rather than me being outside the jail. People will see that the man who brought pride to the country is in jail and will understand how the country is governed. Perhaps, this will be the last series of my service to the country,” Wangchuk had said.

Earlier today, the co-chairman of the Apex Leh Body, Tsering Dorjay, denied any foreign involvement in the agitation and stated that the agitation was a result of the frustration of the youth of Ladakh.

He said, “… This was frustration of our youth, I don’t agree there was any foreign element or Congress’s involvement. This was the frustration of our youth and the issue of unemployment. This is all an excuse. If there were foreign elements, then what were all the agencies doing? If there was a foreign hand, it was a failure of the administration. We will talk to the government.”

The Apex Body Leh (ABL), which is leading the agitation for statehood for Ladakh, stated that their protest is peaceful and that the violence on September 24 was triggered when a section of the youth got out of control.

Addressing a press conference here, the Apex Body denied activist Sonam Wangchuk’s role in the violence in Leh during his hunger strike.

In the statement, a member of the Apex Body Leh said, “Our movement will be peaceful and nonviolent to disseminate this, we started prayers of all the religions. When Sonam Wangchuk started the Hunger Strike, a few people were there. We used to call people from villages. We called for a Leh Bandh on September 24.”

“Before that, on September 23, two people who were in the protest were admitted to the hospital. Upon learning this, a huge mob of youths came to the hospital. On the day of the bandh, more people than we had expected arrived at the site of the strike. A large part of the people were youth that day,” he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a statement on Wednesday had blamed Wangchuk for the violent protests, stating, “It is clear that the mob was incited by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements. Incidentally, amidst these violent developments, he broke his fast and left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation.”

However, he denied the charges. He denounced the violence and also ended his hunger strike following the escalating situation. (ANI)