Arresting Sonam Wangchuk won’t end Ladakh’s movement: Congress

In the rugged silence of Ladakh’s mountains, where voices of dissent often echo louder than the winds, the Congress has risen in defense of climate crusader Sonam Wangchuk — declaring that no storm of vilification can erode the stature he holds in the hearts of his people.

The Ladakh unit of the Congress on Saturday, 27 September, hit out at the BJP-led government over the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, warning that silencing him would not quell the ongoing agitation in the Union Territory.

The Congress party asserted that no “vilification campaign or trumped-up charges” could diminish Wangchuk's stature among the local population.

Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday and lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan, two days after protests demanding statehood and extension of Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent. The clashes resulted in four deaths and around 90 injuries.

“Congress strongly condemns the unwarranted arrest of the renowned activist. His only fault was holding the BJP accountable for its promise to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule,” said Ladakh Congress president Nawang Rigzin Jora.

Jora noted that Wangchuk had also been a key voice for the demands of the Leh Apex Body-Kargil Democratic Alliance (LAB-KDA), including statehood, separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil, and government recruitment, citing high unemployment rates among graduates in the region.

Over the past five years, Wangchuk had spearheaded peaceful agitations — satyagrahs, anshans (fasts), and padyatras — making him the most visible and vocal face of Ladakh’s protests. According to Congress, this prominence has made him “an eyesore for the central government.”

“The government has harassed him and his institutions, HIAL and SECMOL, using agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and CBI, yet he persisted, carrying out a 35-day fast under LAB’s aegis,” the statement added.

The party highlighted that Wangchuk ended his fast on 24 September, coinciding with violent incidents involving youth mobilised by LAB and other local groups, leading to four deaths and multiple injuries.

“This grave mishandling conveniently found a scapegoat in Wangchuk and non-BJP parties, especially Congress. The government is mistaken if it believes arresting him will restore peace. No amount of vilification or false charges will hold in the eyes of the people of Ladakh,” Jora said.

The Congress urged the central government to recognise legitimate grievances of the people of Ladakh and prioritise dialogue rather than repression to maintain peace and harmony in the Union Territory.

With PTI inputs