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‘Who shoots at their own people?’ Wangchuk’s wife on Leh unrest
Gitanjali Angmo rejects charge that her husband, Sonam Wangchuk, instigated September 24 violence that led to security forces opening fire on protesters, leaving four dead.
The wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, Gitanjali J Angmo, on Tuesday slammed the police after allegations were made against her husband in connection with the recent unrest in Leh, claiming a “fabricated narrative” has been created to avoid implementing the Sixth Schedule and make someone a scapegoat.
“We strongly condemn the Ladakh DGP’s statements. Not only I, but everyone in Ladakh denounces those allegations,” Angmo told ANI.
Describing the September 24 events as “very unfortunate”, she questioned the role of security forces. “Who gave the CRPF orders to open fire? Who shoots at their own people, their own citizens? Especially in an area where there has never been a violent demonstration,” she said.
Rejecting claims that her husband had instigated any unrest, she insisted Wangchuk was engaged in peaceful protest elsewhere, saying, “What could Sonam Wangchuk have instigated? He had no idea about all this. He was somewhere else, where he was on a hunger strike.”
She accused the police of working with an “agenda”. “Whatever the DGP is saying, he has an agenda. They don’t want to implement the 6th Schedule under any circumstances and want to make someone a scapegoat,” she alleged.
Angmo said that the curfew imposed on the pretext of the “youth protest” is condemnable, claiming that it was “peace-loving,” and that it was the CRPF’s use of tear gas that inhibited the protest from being peaceful. “Whatever has happened in Leh over the past six days and in the first four years is very sad and unfortunate. No one is more peace-loving, patriotic, and nationalist than the people of Leh. First of all, imposing curfew in such areas is absolutely wrong, and we condemn it. Secondly, we condemn the reason given for this curfew, which is the youth protest. Because the youth were protesting in a peace-loving manner that day. Had the CRPF not used tear gas, this would have been a peaceful protest,” she said.
A total of 44 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals.
