On Friday, two days after the eruption of violent confrontations in Leh, during the protests to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk was arrested. The arrest was hours before Wangchuk was to meet a press conference at 2:30 pm, at which time he was to discuss the latest unrest and the direction the movement was going.
It is Wangchuk who has led the constant agitation to grant full statehood to Ladakh and the Sixth Schedule protection to preserve the rights of tribal communities in the area. He says that these demands are crucial towards saving the delicate ecosystem and cultural identity of Ladakh against the rising industrial and infrastructural demands.
Protests that had been mostly peaceful up to this time went violent on Wednesday. Tensions between protestors and security agents killed four individuals and injured many others, and it became one of the most serious incidents in the recent history of activism in Ladakh. The event has caused alarm about how the movement was handled and the existing anger among the locals who believe their complaints are not being taken seriously.
Officials have yet to issue a substantive report on the reason why Wangchuk was detained, but his imprisonment has already initiated a response throughout the country. The activists believe that his arrest can only make the movement stronger and present it as a figure of resistance and will in the struggle of the political and cultural rights of Ladakh.
Global environmentalist and a pioneer of environmental activities and sustainable development in the Himalayan region, Wangchuk has on several occasions pointed out that because of their distinctive ecological and tribal identity, Ladakh needs constitutional protection. His arrest at a very crucial time will raise the controversy on the governance, representation and environmental conservation in the northernmost part of India.
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News