The Congress on Saturday condemned “unwarranted” arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and said that the “truth shall prevail”, adding that no amount of “vilification campaign and trumped-up charges” against him would hold true in the eyes of the local population.
The Congress unit in Leh also said that the government is terribly mistaken if it believes arresting Wangchuk would help restore peace and harmony in the region, the party added.
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday and was lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan, two days after protesters demanding statehood and extension of Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent and indulged in widespread violence. Four protesters were killed and 90 others were injured in the clashes.
“The Congress strongly condemns the unwarranted arrest of the renowned activist. His only fault was that he held the BJP accountable for its election promise to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. He was instrumental in articulating the other demands of the Leh Apex Body-Kargil Democratic Alliance combine vis-a-vis the grant of statehood, separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil and recruitment in government jobs, given the second-highest rate of unemployment at the graduate level in Ladakh as per GOI statistics,” Ladakh Congress president Nawang Rigzin Jora said in a statement.
He said Wangchuk, following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, carried out ‘satyagrahs’, ‘anshans’ (fast), and ‘padyatras’ in the past five years, has become the most visible and vocal face of Ladakh agitation and, hence, an eyesore for the central government. “It is unfortunate that the government used all possible harassment tools against him and his institutions, HIAL and SECMOL, including the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, etc. He did not budge; instead, he carried out a 35-day-long fast along with his supporters under the aegis of LAB,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}He said Wangchuk, following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, carried out ‘satyagrahs’, ‘anshans’ (fast), and ‘padyatras’ in the past five years, has become the most visible and vocal face of Ladakh agitation and, hence, an eyesore for the central government. “It is unfortunate that the government used all possible harassment tools against him and his institutions, HIAL and SECMOL, including the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, etc. He did not budge; instead, he carried out a 35-day-long fast along with his supporters under the aegis of LAB,” the statement said.
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