After nearly 36 hours of police detention, renowned climate activist and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk along with several other Ladakhi protesters was released on Wednesday. Following his release, he visited Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat to pay tribute and finally ended their indefinite fast.
The group of protesters from Ladakh who took part in the 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra' spearheaded by Wangchuk reportedly gave a memorandum to the government listing their demands, and have been assured of a meeting with top leadership within 15 days.
'Will meet the PM, President soon': Sonam Wangchuk
Right after visiting Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, Wangchuk told media, "We have given a memorandum to the government to protect Ladakh under such constitutional provisions so that its ecology can be preserved, in this case it is the Sixth Schedule, which gives locals the right to govern and manage the resources."
"Locals should be empowered in the Himalayas because they can best preserve it," he said.
"In the coming days, we will meet the prime minister, president or home minister, this is the assurance we have been given by the home ministry," he said.
"We have demanded a democratic set-up for Ladakh, and the Sixth Schedule is also a part of it. We have been assured that we will meet top leadership, and the date of meeting will be confirmed in a couple of days," Wangchuk said.
Police detained Wangchuk on Monday
Citing the imposition of section 163 (which was earlier section 144 of CrPC) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Delhi Police on Monday detained Wangchuk and the other protesters. Initially, Wangchuk and other detained Ladakhis were released on Tuesday. However, as they were adamant about marching towards the central part of Delhi, they were detained once again.
However, on Wednesday evening, a senior police officer confirmed that Wangchuk and all other 'padayatris' were released. "They were allowed to go after an assurance from them of not gathering or holding any yatra as Section 163 is imposed in central parts of the national capital," the officer said.
Detention is illegal: Leh Apex Body
Terming the detention 'illegal', Jigmat Paljor, the coordinator of Leh Apex Body on Wednesday morning said, "We, the 'padyatris', find ourselves in an alarming situation. We have been detained for over 24 hours. This detention is illegal, as the 24-hour period has elapsed, and we must be produced before a magistrate."
"Some groups have been released after just under 24 hours, only to be returned to the police station. Last night, the police attempted to forcibly relocate us to an unknown location, but we stood our ground in resistance," he added.
"Our phones have been confiscated at the Bawana Police Station, leaving us cut off from the outside world", Paljor said in the statement.
Delhi Chalo Padyatra: What is it about?
The 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra' march was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) as part of a four-year-long agitation alongside the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) seeking statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The 'padyatris', who started from Leh on September 1, marched all the way, except upon entering poll bound Haryana where they boarded buses. They were detained at Delhi's Singhu border on Monday night and taken to different police stations, where they started an indefinite fast.
Sonam Wangchuk's 21-day-long hunger strike
Earlier this year, renowned climate activist and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk staged a 21-day-long hunger strike in sub-zero temperature over four key demands including statehood and implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the region.
According to the Constitution, the sixth Schedule ensures protections for land and a nominal autonomy for the country’s tribal areas. In 2019, as part of its abolition of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) special constitutional status, New Delhi granted Union Territory (UT) status to Ladakh.
Moreover, Wangchuk also sought separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts, a recruitment process and a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh.
