Sonam Wangchuk resumes strike after ‘rejection letter’ from Delhi Police

Delhi police, in their purported rejection letter, said that according to the guidelines laid out by the Supreme Court, the application for a strike must be sent 10 days in advance and it should also mention specific time frame and number of people to be involved, all of which was missing in the application.

The Delhi Police on Sunday denied climate activist Sonam Wangchuk the permission to go on a hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He has, however, resumed the strike at Ladakh Bhawan in Chanakyapuri.

Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters at Ladakh Bhawan on Sunday. (PTI)

Sharing a copy of the letter allegedly sent by Delhi Police, Wangchuk, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said, “Another rejection, another frustration. Finally this morning we got this rejection letter for the officially designated place for protests. If Jantar Mantar is not allowed, please tell us which place is allowed. We want to abide by all laws and still express our grievance in a peaceful way. Why is it so difficult to follow the path of Gandhi in his own country? There must be a way.”

Delhi police, in their purported rejection letter, said that according to the guidelines laid out by the Supreme Court, the application for a strike must be sent 10 days in advance and it should also mention specific time frame and number of people to be involved, all of which was missing in the application.

The letter also stated that they have received tip-off that the event may be prolonged and may not conclude on the same day, due to which they’re not accepting the request.

The police did not comment on the matter.

Wangchuk took to X on Saturday night and said that his team was looking for a place to protest all day but couldn’t find one. He also said that when they broke their fast at Rajghat, they were assured of an appointment with the top leadership within two days but it did not happen, forcing him to start the indefinite fast again.

Dilip Jain, one of the protesters who also runs a “Friends of Ladakh” group, said, “Police doesn’t want to give us the permission to protest and they are giving frivolous reasons. Sonam and his supporters in Delhi have started a hunger strike and we are still looking for places to protest.”

Demands of Wangchuk and his supporters include statehood for Ladakh and the extension of the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule, among other requests. They were detained near the Singhu border on Monday night with police citing prohibitory orders that were in place. They remained under detention at the Bawana police station till late Wednesday afternoon and were taken to Rajghat that evening.