Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk, others launch indefinite fast

Wangchuk along with his volunteers arrive in Lahaul and Spiti amid his padayatra from Leh to Delhi demanding Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh

• Pramod Thomas
• 01 October, 2024

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By: Pramod Thomas

CLIMATE activist Sonam Wangchuk and several others who were detained at the Delhi border while marching to the capital to demand sixth schedule status for Ladakh on Tuesday (1) launched an indefinite fast at police stations where they have been kept.

Wangchuk was leading the march, ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’, which began from Leh a month ago. He and around 120 others from Ladakh were detained on Monday (30) night.

The march was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) in collaboration with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). For the past four years, these groups have been leading a movement demanding statehood for Ladakh.

They are also pushing for Ladakh to be included under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, the creation of a public service commission, faster recruitment processes, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.

Wangchuk and those accompanying him were detained at the Delhi border for violating prohibitory orders and were taken to different police stations, including Bawana, Narela Industrial Area and Alipur, according to a police officer.

“We tried to convince them to go back as Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) [which prohibits assembly of five or more people] is imposed in the national capital but they were adamant,” the officer said. They remain under detention, he said.

A representative of the group claimed that Wangchuk was taken to Bawana police station and was not being allowed to meet his lawyers.

The activist and others have launched an indefinite fast at the police stations where they have been kept, the representative said.

Wangchuk and the other members of the group had sought official permission and even emailed prime minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah but that information was used to detain the protesters, the representative claimed.

Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa said that around 30 women were among those detained and they were kept with the male detainees.

“Several people from Ladakh have been detained. They have been kept at different police stations. I met some of them late last night and early today,” Haneefa said.

He said around 60-70 people from Kargil who had come to join the march at the Singhu border on Tuesday morning were also stopped by Delhi Police.

Around 30 women were also detained,  Haneefa said. “They were kept in a place where male detainees were also there,” he said.

However, Delhi Police had said on Monday night that women protesters were not detained.

(PTI)