Leh, India, September 28: The Ladakh administration said late on Saturday it had detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) and shifted him to Jodhpur jail, accusing him of instigating unrest that left four people dead in Leh earlier this week.
Wangchuk, who was on a three-week hunger strike pressing for statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, had delivered a series of speeches with references to the Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said in a statement. Officials alleged his remarks and videos triggered violence in Leh on Sept. 24, when government buildings and vehicles were set ablaze and police personnel were attacked.
“It is important to restore normalcy in the peace-loving Leh town of Ladakh. To ensure this, it is also important to prevent Mr. Wangchuk from further acting in a manner prejudicial to maintenance of public order,” the administration said.
The statement accused Wangchuk of “time and again indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the state and detrimental to peace and public order.” Despite government outreach, it said, he continued his hunger strike with “ulterior motives.”
Wangchuk, son of Sonam Wangyal and a resident of Uley Tokpo in Leh, was detained on Friday. The administration said it was “not advisable to keep him in Leh district” after the outbreak of violence.
Curfew remains in force in Leh, while Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been imposed in Kargil to ban gatherings. Shops and businesses in Kargil shut down on Friday in solidarity with Wangchuk.
Several social, religious and political groups in Ladakh condemned the arrest and demanded his immediate release.
