E-Paper
Ladakh man shaves head outside police station to protest detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk
Sonam Wangchuk, who was leading 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra', had gone on an indefinite fast after he was detained by the Delhi Police on Monday.
A supporter of Ladakhi climate activist Sonam Wangchuk shaved his head outside a Delhi police station on Wednesday in a symbolic protest against the detention of Wangchuk and 150 other demonstrators.
"My name is Hassan Tamanna, and I am from Kargil. I participated in Sonam Wangchuk's padyatra," Tamanna said in a video shared by news agency PTI. "However, to see how democracy has been killed here after he, along with others, was detained, I have shaved off my head to protest."
In the video, Tamanna can be seen using a trimmer to shave his head while holding a poster that read, “Why are Ladakhis denied to have peaceful protest for their rights in Indian democracy?”
He conducted the protest in front of the Bawana police station, where Wangchuk and several other activists have been held since their detention on Monday.
The protest comes after Wangchuk and other participants in the 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra', a month-long march from Leh to Delhi, were detained. Their peaceful march was aimed at demanding statehood for Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, and other rights for the region.
Wangchuk, known for his environmental activism in Ladakh, and his supporters have been on an indefinite fast since Gandhi Jayanti, the October 2 anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth. In a statement, Jigmat Paljor, Coordinator of the Apex Body, said the detainees had been held for over 24 hours, which he claimed was illegal.
"We, the 'padyatris', find ourselves in an alarming situation," Paljor said. "Last night, the police attempted to forcibly relocate us to an unknown location, but we stood our ground in resistance."
Delhi Police said that the protesters were initially released on Tuesday night but were re-detained when they tried to march towards central Delhi.
The Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance have been at the forefront of the agitation for Ladakhi rights, demanding a statehood status for the region, along with separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
Wangchuk and his fellow protesters are currently being held at multiple police stations across Delhi, where they continue their fast in defiance of the police actions.
