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Wangchuk’s arrest draws sharp reaction from political leaders
Police on Friday arrested Wangchuk, two days after protests demanding Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule status left four people dead and 90 injured in Ladakh
The arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has evoked sharp response from political leaders who termed his arrest as the government reaction for not keeping its “promises” made to people of Ladakh.
Police on Friday arrested Wangchuk, two days after protests demanding Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule status left four people dead and 90 injured in Ladakh
Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan condemned the arrest of Wangchuk and said that whatever is happening in Ladakh is due to frustration of youth who are unemployed and angry with the government for not fulfilling promises. “Whatever happened in Leh should be properly investigated. And also the police opened direct fire on the protestors which should also be probed and officers responsible for firing should be made accountable. There should be a judicial probe” he said adding that government could have easily controlled this situation had they acted early in the morning.
J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the arrest of Wangchuk and termed it as unfortunate.
“The way central government was after him from yesterday, his arrest looked inevitable. They (centre) had made certain promises with them, the way they had made promises with us. I fail to understand why cant they fulfil their own promises.”
Omar said that during Hill Council polls when people decided to boycott, a central minister went there and made certain promises. “The people not only participated in the polls but also made BJP to win those elections, however the promises were not fulfilled.”
Former J&K chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the arrest is punishment for speaking truth. ‘Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest is deeply disturbing. A lifelong advocate of peace, sustainability and truth is being punished merely for demanding that promises be kept. Today, Leh is under curfew with internet shut down a grim echo of what Kashmir has long endured. In today’s India, speaking truth to power comes at a heavy cost or how else could a man who stood for peace and non violence his entire life end up behind bars?,” Mufti wrote on X.
Congress general secretary communications, Jai Ram Ramesh, said that BJP has deceived people of Ladakh.
“The Indian National Congress condemns the arrest of noted environmentalist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act. This has been done 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 UT of Ladakh,” he wrote on X.
Ramesh further said 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.”
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also criticised the BJP-led central government over the arrest of climate activist Wangchuk, calling it an attack on democracy and people’s rights.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said that the country was passing through a difficult phase. “Ravana’s end also came. Kansa’s end also came. Hitler’s and Mussolini’s end 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,” Kejriwal wrote in Hindi in a post on X.
Earlier, in another post on X, he described Wangchuk as a man committed to education and innovation, and said it was painful to see him facing action.
Wangchuk being treated as ‘criminal’ without any reason, alleges wife Gitanjali Angmo
“He was treated like a criminal without any reason,” was an angry outburst from Gitanjali Angmo, the wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was arrested from his village Ulyaktopo on Friday.
Angmo, who is also the co-founder of HIAL (Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh), fiercely condemned her husband’s detention and accused the government of spreading “false narratives” to tarnish his image.
She alleged that their house was “ransacked by the police” and alleged that Wangchuk was being unjustly portrayed as “anti-national”.
“It is the worst form of democracy... without any trial, without any reason, they have just taken him like a criminal,” Angmo told PTI.
“The government should not stoop to this level to tarnish somebody’s image who has been peacefully protesting for the past five years, who has contributed to national glory more than anybody else, be it through Rolex Awards or, you know, the work that he has been doing in agriculture and environment, to UNDP and everywhere,” she said.
Identifying herself as a practising Hindu, Wangchuk’s wife questioned the BJP’s principles, saying, “They are not Hindus in any way. The BJP is not Hindu because its foundation is falsehood.””I am somebody who teaches the Vedas, Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita in the light of Sri Aurobindo. I am a teacher and student of the Vedas and Vedanta and this is not the India Sri Aurobindo dreamt about and this is not the Hinduism that Vedas and Vedanta talk about,” she said.
With PTI inputs
