Leh, September 26 — Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act on Friday and shifted out of Ladakh, two days after violent protests over statehood demands left four people dead and over 80 injured. The arrest follows the Union Home Ministry’s cancellation of his organization’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act license, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
Police took Wangchuk into custody at 2:30 p.m. from his village in Ulyaktopo, led by Ladakh Police chief S D Singh Jamwal. News agency PTI’s sources in the Ladakh administration indicated the invocation of the NSA, which allows for preventive detention without bail, though official confirmation is pending. Mobile internet services were suspended in Leh as a precautionary measure to curb misinformation.
The protests erupted on Wednesday, September 24, during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body youth wing, demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule for tribal safeguards. Clashes near the BJP headquarters and the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council secretariat turned violent, with protesters torching vehicles and public property. Police resorted to firing in self-defense, resulting in four civilian deaths and injuries to dozens, including over 30 security personnel, The Chenab Times reported earlier.
Wangchuk, a key figure in the five-year agitation alongside the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, had ended a 15-day hunger strike on September 24 amid rising tensions. The Home Ministry blamed his “provocative statements” for inciting the mob, referencing Arab Spring-style unrest. Wangchuk dismissed the charges as a “scapegoat tactic” to evade Ladakh’s core issues.
The Thursday cancellation of SECMOL’s FCRA license cited financial irregularities, including a ₹3.5 lakh deposit violating Section 17 of the Act and a Swedish fund transfer against national interest. The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing similar violations at SECMOL and the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the arrest “unfortunate” and accused the central government of backtracking on promises made to Ladakh residents before the 2020 Hill Council elections. “I don’t understand what compulsions the Central government has to backtrack after making promises,” Abdullah said.
Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, condemned the treatment, stating, “He was treated like a criminal without any reason.” She criticized the BJP, saying, “They are not Hindus in any way. The BJP is not Hindu because its foundation is falsehood,” according to news reports.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal described the arrest as an attack on democracy, adding that the country was in a difficult phase. The AAP plans a candlelight vigil in Delhi. Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir called the arrest unwarranted, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation demanded Wangchuk’s immediate release.
Curfew remains in place in Leh, with heavy security deployment and over 50 detentions. No response has come from the BJP on the allegations.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
