Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk launched an indefinite hunger strike in Delhi on Sunday to draw attention to the region's demands for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Wangchuk, along with 18 others, sat on a fast at Ladakh Bhawan after they were denied permission to stage the demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The protesters raised slogans such as 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai", "Jai Ladakh " and "Save Ladakh, Save Himalaya".
"We were seeking a place where we could hold our peaceful hunger strike but we weren't given that place. So we had no option but to begin (a hunger strike) from Ladakh Bhavan where we were virtually detained," Wangchuk told news agency ANI.
The activist said he was forced to resume his hunger strike after the top leaders in Delhi refused to provide him time for a meeting, despite previous assurances.
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"The assurance that we were given to meet the top leadership of the country, we haven't been given any dates for that. So we were forced to start our hunger strike again which we broke on Rajghat,” he said.
Earlier this week, the climate activist, who was leading a ‘Delhi Chalo Padayatra’ from Leh, was detained along with 150 supporters by the Delhi Police at the Delhi-Haryana border. They were detained for alleged violations of the prohibitory orders under section 163 of the BNS.
“They (the police) told us to go back, and of course, we hadn't come for that," he said.
The padayatra was organised by Leh Apex Body, which along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance, has been spearheading an agitation for the last four years raising their four-point demands.
Their demands included 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.
