- Sunday, October 06, 2024
Wangchuk said they were forced to stage the protest at the Ladakh Bhawan after failing to find any venue for their protest seeking statehood for Ladakh
By: Shajil Kumar
CLIMATE activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday sat on a fast at the Ladakh Bhawan in New Delhi where he was staying, after the protesters were denied permission to stage the stir for Ladakh’s Sixth Schedule status at Jantar Mantar.
Wangchuk, in a brief interaction with media before starting the fast, said they were forced to stage the protest at the Ladakh Bhawan after failing to find any venue for their stir.
Around 18 people, including Wangchuk, sat close to the gate of the Ladakh Bhawan, singing the Hindi version of ‘We Shall Overcome’, and raised slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Jai Ladakh ” and “Save Ladakh, Save Himalaya”.
On Sunday morning, Wangchuk took to ‘X’ to say that they have been denied permission to sit on a fast at Jantar Mantar.
“Another rejection, another frustration. Finally this morning we got this rejection letter for the officially designated place for protests,” Wangchuk said.
The climate activist led the ‘Delhi Chalo Padayatra’, which began in Leh on September 1.
The march was organised by Leh Apex Body, which along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance, has been spearheading an agitation for the last four years seeking statehood for Ladakh, its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
On Saturday, a majority of the protesters returned to Ladakh while the remaining stayed back to join Wangchuk for the fast.
Around 150 ‘padyatris’ had started from Leh on September 1 and marched all the way, except upon entering poll bound Haryana where they boarded buses.
When they reached Delhi’s Singhu border on September 30, Wangchuk and others were detained and kept in various police stations. Delhi chief minister Atishi was not allowed to meet Wangchuk while in detention.
They were taken to Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat on October 2 and released later.
The Delhi High Court on Friday closed the proceedings in connection with Sonam Wangchuk’s detention by Delhi police and said the climate activist was now free and can air his grievances himself. (Agencies)
