Wangchuk not in detention, govt. tells HC, but activist barred from leaving guesthouse

Sonam Wangchuk was stopped by security personnel in plainclothes from leaving the Ladakh Bhavan. A police contingent was deployed outside the guest house and barricades were placed.

The movements of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk continued to be restricted by police and security agencies for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday (October 3, 2024) despite the Union Government informing the Delhi High Court that he has been released from detention.

On Thursday around 5 p.m., as witnessed by The Hindu, Mr. Wangchuk was stopped by security personnel in plainclothes from leaving the Ladakh Bhavan. A huge police contingent was deployed outside the government guest house and barricades were placed at the entrance.

Mr. Wangchuk, who led a march of around 150 people from Ladakh on September 1 to demand constitutional safeguards for the region, was detained by Delhi Police along with the delegation after reaching the Delhi-Haryana border at Singhu in North Delhi on September 30. As per the scheduled plan, the march was to culminate on October 2 at Rajghat on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and a sit-in was planned at Jantar Mantar.

On Wednesday, Mr. Wangchuk and other members of the delegation, after remaining in detention for almost 40 hours, were taken in groups to Rajghat under heavy police presence.

Also read | Ladakh climate activist Sonam Wangchuk released, allowed to visit Rajghat

Ladakh Member of Parliament Mohmad Haneefa told The Hindu that talks were on with Union Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure Mr. Wangchuk’s free movement.

“Even I was detained for a day by the police when I reached Singhu border on October 1 to receive protesters from Kargil. I have asked the government for an explanation. As an elected representative, I was only helping people from my constituency,” said Mr. Haneefa.

The MP said that he has received an assurance from the Union Government that they will get a hearing from either the Prime Minister or the Home Minister. “Everyone else has been released but Sonam Wangchuk has been confined at Ladakh Bhavan. He is allowed to move inside the Bhavan but not step out or speak with the media,” he said.

Mr. Haneefa, an independent MP from Ladakh, said that police action in a way helped their cause. “The police detentions helped us highlight our issues, which were being suppressed by the government for the past four years. People are aware now that how things have been forced on Ladakh in the past four years. They continue to restrict Mr. Wangchuk as government is uncomfortable with the support we are getting across the nation,” he said.

Since 2020, a year after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was withdrawn and the former State split into two Union Territories, Ladakh has witnessed several protests. The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, two influential civil society groups in Ladakh, have been demanding Statehood, inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution (protection of tribal areas), job reservation for locals and two Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha seats for the region.

The protesters are demanding resumption of dialogue through the high-powered committee (HPC) chaired by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai that was constituted in January 2023 to address the grievances. The committee last met in March 2024, before the general elections were held.

Published - October 03, 2024 10:16 pm IST