AMN / WEB DESK / NEW DELHI
The Ladakh statehood activist Sonam Wangchuk has been arrested on Friday under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) after the violent protests in the Union territory left four people dead and dozens injured, has been shifted to a jail in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, reports India TV quoting sources.
Wangchuk was taken into custody at 2:30 pm by a police team led by Ladakh Police chief S D Singh Jamwal earlier in the day and later shifted to Jodhpur. He has been kept in a high-security cell with round-the-clock CCTV surveillance.
As a precautionary measure, the Union Territory administration has suspended mobile internet services in the Leh area.
Sonam Wangchuk’s role in Ladakh statehood protest
A prominent voice for the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), Wangchuk has been at the forefront of a five-year-long agitation demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for the people of Leh and Kargil, which became part of the Union Territory of Ladakh after being carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
The BJP-led Centre has accused the climate activist of instigating the recent violence in Leh, an allegation Wangchuk has firmly denied.
“To say it was instigated by me is to find a scapegoat rather than addressing the core of the problem, and this will lead us nowhere,” Wangchuk told PTI on Thursday, adding that the unrest reflected the frustration of the region’s youth.
His arrest came a day after the Union home ministry revoked the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), an organisation founded by Wangchuk, citing alleged financial irregularities and a fund transfer considered against “national interest.”
Security Deployed Across Leh as District Observes Section 163 Restrictions
The situation in Leh district of the Ladakh Union Territory remained peaceful today, as there are no reports of untoward incidents from anywhere. Leh has been under restrictions through the imposition of section 163 of BNSS 2023 since Wednesday 24th of this month, following the violent clash between security personnel and protesting youth, which claimed the loss of four lives and ninety others were injured in this incident.
The injured persons are still undergoing treatment at Sonam Norbu Hospital in Leh. All the educational institutions and Business establishments across the district remained closed today as per the order of the district Magistrate Leh. People stayed indoors, and traffic on roads was minimal. Security forces have been deployed in the entire district to ensure the imposition of restrictions and maintain law and order, as well as to restore normalcy and peace in the region.