Bansri Shah, Pune
Sonam Wangchuk, a climate activist, along with 150 other men and women marching from Ladakh to Delhi were detained by police on the Delhi-Haryana border on Monday. The group was held in violation of the prohibitory orders set by the state.
Wangchuk took to X, stating that around 150 participants in the march, which included the elderly as well as military veterans had been taken into custody as soon as they reached North Delhi. Another group from Kargil was also held at a community hall when it reached Narela, along with several others who were staying at the Ladakh Bhavan in Delhi.
The Delhi Police had initially approved the march but the permission was revoked on Monday, the day the group reached Delhi. Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) called the detainments a violation of their fundamental right to protest.
The Delhi Chalo Padayatra began on September 1 from Leh with the goal to reach Delhi by October 2. The march was to demand for sixth schedule status for Ladakh and its ecology (bringing attention to the consequences of climate change to the region), demand of Statehood, job reservation for the people of the region and two Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha seats for Ladakh. The sixth schedule of the Constitution states that in order to protect the culture and resources of tribal areas in the country, exclusive safeguards and autonomy is provided to the region.
The protests from the people of Ladakh has been a consequence of the abrogation of Section 370 which divided Jammu and Kashmir, giving Ladakh the status of a Union Territory. However, this left the region without an Assembly.
Wangchuk has since then been demanding steps be taken to protect Ladakh and its people and he soon sat for a five day ‘climate-fast’ in January 2024 at the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh (HIAL) campus in Leh. This garnered support and soon hundreds of people joined him.
Wangchuk has mentioned that the people thought that being a Union Territory would have been better than being a part of J&K since they would have some autonomy and legislature but nothing of the sort has happened. As of now, it has only been one single person making decisions for them, not entirely taking the people’s wishes into account.
Newly elected Delhi Chief Minister, Atishi, wrote on X that she will be going and meeting Sonam Wangchuk and the others detained on Tuesday, October 1.