The Delhi police on Tuesday detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and 120 others from Ladakh who were marching to the national capital demanding sixth schedule status for the Union Territory. The actions of Delhi triggered a protest with Congress hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating he will have to listen to the voice of Ladakhis.
Wangchuk and others were marching to Delhi to spend the night at the border but were asked to return after prohibitory orders were imposed in Delhi. The Delhi Police had banned protests and gatherings in the districts of New Delhi, North and Central and all police station jurisdictions sharing the borders with other states for the next six days, citing law and order issues. However, the protesters refused to do so, after which they were detained. Women participating in the march were not detained.
Wangchuk also took to Instagram to share visuals from the Delhi border of the police stopping his vehicles. He was also seen interacting with police officials in the video. "As we are approaching Delhi, it appears we are not being escorted, we are being detained," Wangchuk said.
They were moved to Alipur Police Station and other nearby police stations at the Delhi-Haryana border. The police said they would be released after some time.
Ladakh MP Haji Hanifa was the first to respond to the detention stating that Wangchuk and others set out on foot from Leh under the banner of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Apex Body to present their views to the government.
" Everyone is aware of how Ladakhis have been having talks with the government to protect environmental and constitutional rights," Hanifa said, adding that their fight had been peaceful. "We even had talks with the government for the same but they stopped after the elections and the formation of the new government," he added.
The Congress too came in support of Wangchuk, calling out Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "arrogance". While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the police action was cowardly and "is deeply undemocratic in nature".
"In Ladakh, there is a growing wave of public support, with widespread calls for safeguarding tribal communities under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution," he said. "Instead, the Modi government wants to exploit the ecologically sensitive Himalayan glaciers of Ladakh to benefit its crony friends. This incident tells us that the fight against Modi Govt's brazen despotism is far from over!" Kharge said.
Rahul Gandhi also slammed the Centre, stating the detention of Wangchuk was unacceptable. He asked why elderly citizens were being detained at Delhi's border for standing up for Ladakh's future. "Modi ji, like with the farmers, this 'Chakravyuh' will be broken, and so will your arrogance. You will have to listen to Ladakh's voice," Gandhi said.
AAP leader Manish Sisodia too slammed the Centre for treating Wangchuk poorly. "I don’t understand what Amit Shah, PM Modi, and the BJP are doing. In Delhi, the BJP has provided complete protection to gangsters while treating people like Sonam Wangchuk, who love the country, as terrorists. The kind of force the BJP is using against Sonam Wangchuk should have been used to stop the gangsters in Delhi," Sisodia added.