Ladakh protests: Wangchuk arrested, slapped with NSA

Being made a scapegoat, says activist; mobile internet snapped in Leh

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Security personnel patrol an area during a curfew after protests in Leh, on Friday

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested Friday and slapped with the stringent National Security Act (NSA), two days after violent protests over statehood and constitutional protection left four persons dead and 90 injured in the Union Territory of Ladakh, officials said.

Police have shifted Wangchuk out of Ladakh, while the Ladakh administration has snapped all mobile internet connections within the jurisdiction of Leh district as a precautionary measure, they said.

In a day of fast-paced developments, the arrest of Wangchuk was sudden. He was scheduled to address a press conference in Leh at 2:30 pm but when he failed to arrive, the organisers became concerned.

They soon found the reason - the climate activist had been arrested from his village Ulyaktopo by a strong team of Ladakh Police, led by Director General S D Singh Jamwal.

The administration also snapped mobile internet services in the Leh area as a precautionary measure.