After deadly stir, Ladakh NGO’S FCRA licence nixed

The Union home ministry on Thursday cancelled the foreign funding licence of a nongovernmental organisation run by activist Sonam Wangchuk, a day after blaming him for the violent clashes over statehood in Ladakh that killed four people and injured 100 others.

- Neeraj Chauhan and Ashiq Hussain

The move came on a day when relative normalcy returned to the Union territory as authorities detained 20 people and police and paramilitary forces strictly clamped curfew restrictions across Leh.

The ministry said it cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SEC-MOL), one of the organisations founded by Wangchuk, with “immediate effect”.

The order said SECMOL received ₹4.93 lakh in 2021-22 from a foreign donor in Sweden, for educational programmes for creating awareness on migration, climate change, global warming, food security and sovereignty of the country. "The foreign contributions cannot be accepted for study on the sovereignty of the nation. This act of association is against the national interest of the country," the ministry said.

The activist called the order a "witch hunt" and said the unrest was due to the frustration among the common people in Ladakh.

"They may be clever in making somebody else a scapegoat, but they are not wise. At this time, we all need wisdom rather than cleverness because youth is already frustrated," Wangchuk told PTI, adding that he was ready to be arrested. To be sure, the timing of the investigation and its revelation -- he is widely seen as one of the leaders of the movement in Ladakh demanding more autonomy and perhaps statehood--mean that the investigation could be seen as being politically motivated.

The controversy came a day after four people were killed and around 100 injured in Ladakh during sweeping protests demanding full statehood for the Union territory and protections for jobs and land. Eyewitnesses said young pro testers in their hundreds pelted stones, vandalised buildings and set the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office and a police vehicle ablaze. Police said it had to resort to lathi charge and tear gas shells to disperse the protesters but Wangchuk said police used lethal weapons.