SRINAGAR/JAIPUR: Jailed climate activist
Sonam Wangchuk has demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the September 24 firing in Leh, which left four people dead and over 70 wounded, and said he was prepared to remain in prison until the probe is conducted.
In his first message from Jodhpur central jail, Wangchuk appealed to the people of Ladakh to maintain peace and unity while continuing their fight for statehood and Sixth Schedule status “in the true Gandhian way of non-violence”.
“I stand firmly with Apex Body Leh, Kargil Democratic Alliance, and the people of Ladakh in our genuine constitutional demand for Sixth Schedule and statehood,” Wangchuk said in the message relayed by Mustafa Haji, legal advisor to the apex body. “Whatever actions Apex Body Leh takes in the interest of Ladakh, I am with them wholeheartedly.”
Haji and Wangchuk’s elder brother Ka Tsetan Dorjey Ley met him at Jodhpur jail Saturday. Haji posted Sunday the activist’s message on X and Facebook, quoting Wangchuk as saying he was “doing well, both physically and mentally” and thanking supporters for their concern and prayers. He expressed condolences to the families of those killed and said his “prayers are with those wounded and arrested”.
Wangchuk was taken into custody on September 26 under NSA, two days after protests in Leh turned violent. Police and paramilitary forces fired at demonstrators demanding Ladakh’s inclusion under Sixth Schedule and restoration of statehood.
Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Monday a petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J Angmo challenging his arrest under NSA and seeking his immediate release.
The unrest came amid Wangchuk’s hunger strike, launched on Sept 10 to press for those demands. The clashes and fatal firing on Sept 24 prompted Wangchuk to call off his fast.
Union home ministry had earlier announced that the next round of talks with Ladakh representatives would be held on October 6, but both ABL and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) withdrew after the killings, insisting that dialogue could resume only after a judicial probe into the firing and the release of those arrested, including Wangchuk.
While the UT administration in Ladakh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Leh violence, ABL and KDA have rejected it, reiterating their demand for a judicial probe by a retired Supreme Court judge before returning to talks.
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