Desk Result:
The police have arrested environmental rights activist Sonam Wangchuk, the spokesperson for the Ladakh statehood movement. A case has been filed against her for ‘inciting people to violence by making provocative statements’. A day before her arrest, she had said that she would be happy if she was arrested for this movement.
According to Indian media NDTV, earlier, the Union Home Ministry of India cancelled the license of Wangchuk’s non-profit organization ‘Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh’ or SECML to receive foreign donations. The cancellation of the license under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 2010 or FCRA stopped the possibility of receiving foreign funds.
The activist from the hilly region won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018. She has denied the allegations of the Indian central government and the Ladakh union territory administration. Two days ago, four people were killed and more than 50 people were injured in the violence, including security personnel.
Wangchuk told NDTV on Thursday that his organization did not receive any foreign donations. However, it has done business with several UN, Swiss and Italian organizations and has paid all taxes. He said, “They mistakenly considered it a foreign donation. I think it is the government’s mistake. So I don’t think so. But it is not a donation, it is a business transaction.”
Earlier in 2019, when Narendra Modi’s BJP government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and divided Jammu and Kashmir and declared Ladakh a union territory, the people there were initially excited, but gradually complaints of political vacuum started arising. This led to the Buddhist community of the capital Leh and the Muslim community of Kargil coming together and starting a movement for the status and implementation of the demands of the state. In this context, speculations about the involvement of foreign hands and vested interests also started.
The central government claims that Wangchuk continued his agitation without breaking his fast, while the government was trying to find a solution through continuous talks with the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
On Wednesday, the Home Ministry said in a statement that significant progress was being made through the talks. But some politically motivated individuals were trying to sabotage the process. On the day of the violence, Wangchuk broke his fast and returned to the village in an ambulance. But he made no attempt to control the situation. The Home Ministry alleged that Wangchuk incited the people to violence by making provocative statements.
Along with statehood, Wangchuk is demanding that Ladakh be brought under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. This will create an opportunity for the introduction of autonomous systems for the tribal region. “If I am arrested for this demand, I will be happy,” he said in an interview with NDTV on Thursday.
Wangchuk further warned, “I am ready for it. I am waiting to be arrested. But I want to say that Sonam Wangchuk being in jail is equally powerful, if not more problematic for the government. Because it will make people more aware of how the country is running.”
