Leh: The Congress unit in Ladakh has stated that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has emerged as the most prominent and vocal face of the region’s agitation, and no “vilification campaign or trumped-up charges” against him will convince the local population otherwise. The party added that the government is gravely mistaken if it believes arresting Wangchuk would restore peace in the region.
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday and lodged in Jodhpur jail, two days after protests over statehood and extension of Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent, leaving four protesters dead and 90 others injured.
“Congress strongly condemns the unwarranted arrest of the renowned activist. His only ‘fault’ was holding the BJP accountable for its election promise to bring Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule,” said Ladakh Congress president Nawang Rigzin Jora. He added that Wangchuk had also championed other demands of the Leh Apex Body-Kargil Democratic Alliance, including statehood, separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil, and government job recruitment, especially given Ladakh’s second-highest graduate-level unemployment rate as per government statistics.
Following the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, Wangchuk has conducted ‘satyagrahs’, ‘anshans’ (fasts), and ‘padyatras’ over the past five years, becoming the most visible face of the Ladakh agitation—and a target for the central government. “Despite harassment through agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and CBI, he remained undeterred, even undertaking a 35-day fast with his supporters under the aegis of LAB,” the statement said.
Congress noted that Wangchuk called off his fast on September 24 after youth mobilised by LAB and various religious organisations clashed with authorities, resulting in deaths and serious injuries. “This mishandling found a convenient scapegoat in Wangchuk and non-BJP parties, particularly Congress. Arresting him will not restore peace, and no campaign of vilification or false charges will sway the people of Ladakh,” the statement concluded.
