Congress calls Ladakh activist's arrest under NSA 'draconian'

After Ladakhi climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was moved from the Union Territory to the Jodhpur Central Jail under tight security arrangements a day before, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, on Saturday, condemned Wangchuk's arrest and demanded a judicial investigation into the deaths of four innocent young men and the serious injuries inflicted upon many others.

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Taking to his official X account, the Congress President said, "The Indian National Congress strongly condemns the pathetic handling of the situation in Ladakh by the Union government and subsequent arrest of Sonam Wangchuk under the draconian National Security Act. At the heart of the crisis lies the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s persistent betrayal of the aspirations of the people of Ladakh."

"For over a year now, there has been turmoil and instead of lending a patient hearing to the cries of the people for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the Narendra Modi government is responding with violence," Kharge noted.

Highlighting that the BJP government had pledged Sixth Schedule status for the region, he said, "Sadly that promise has been squarely abandoned."

Leh still remains tense after violent clashes broke out on Sept.24 during protests demanding full statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

The unrest, which broke out after nearly two weeks of a peaceful hunger strike, claimed four lives and left dozens injured.