Two days after four protesters were killed in a violent demonstration in Leh district of Ladakh, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on Friday under the National Security Act. According to reports, Chering Dorjey Lakrook, a member of Leh Apex Body (LAB), confirmed the arrest, calling it unfortunate. The arrest occurred on Friday afternoon, just as LAB representatives, who have been demanding Sixth Schedule and statehood for nearly four years, were about to hold a press conference. According to reports, he has been moved out and mobile internet services snapped in the area.
Opposition leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, launched scathing attacks on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre. The Congress party condemned the Wangchuk’s arrest, terming it an attempt 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 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,” said Congress’ Jairam Ramesh
Kejriwal called Sonam Wanchuck’s arrest “dictatorship”, drawing parallels from mythology and history. “Raavan’s end also came. Kansa’s end also came. Hitler’s and Mussolini’s ends 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,” the former Delhi chief minister wrote on X in Hindi.
Omar Abdullah accused the Centre of “backtracking” on the promises made to Ladakh.
Ladakh on Wednesday witnessed its worst unrest in decades, with demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards erupting into violent clashes. At the centre was education reformist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose leadership in the agitation has drawn sharp government scrutiny. On Thursday, the Union Home Ministry cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of his NGO, Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). The CBI has launched probes into his initiatives, sparking allegations of a political witch-hunt from Wangchuk and supporters.
The ministry on Thursday cited multiple violations, including improper deposits into SECMOL’s FCRA account, discrepancies in returns, and receipt of Rs 4.93 lakh from Swedish organisation Framtidsjorden, partly linked to a “study on sovereignty” prohibited under Section 12(4). Authorities also flagged Rs 3.35 lakh from a bus sale in 2021-22 and Rs 54,600 in local donations wrongly credited to the FCRA account. Declaring SECMOL’s explanations “untenable,” the ministry cancelled its registration with immediate effect.
Wangchuk dismissed the charges as part of a broader “witch-hunt,” asserting that his organisations only received legitimate fees for knowledge-sharing projects with UN bodies and European groups. “We are being hounded with tax summons and CBI notices,” he said.
