Govt cracks down: Sonam Wangchuk arrested under NSA, Opposition leaders condemn move

MOBILE INTERNET SNAPPED IN LEH

- NARESH BISWANI

Renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was spearheading the movement seeking statehood and the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh, was arrested by the police in Leh on Friday after the stringent National Security Act (NSA) was slapped on him.

The development came two days after the Centre accused him of instigating the violent protests that erupted in Leh on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of four persons in clashes between the police and the protesters. Fifty people were also injured.

The Centre also revoked the FCRA license of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), founded by Wangchuk. In an all-round crackdown, the CBI has also initiated an inquiry into the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh, which he runs, for alleged FCRA violations.

Police have transferred Wangchuk from Ladakh to Jodhpur in Rajasthan, while the Ladakh administration has suspended all mobile internet connections within the jurisdiction of Leh district as a precautionary measure, sources said.

In a day of fast-paced developments, the arrest of Wang-chuk 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 out 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. Wangchuk was immediately shifted out of Ladakh.

The organisers went ahead with the scheduled press conference in which they admitted that the recent violence was caused by youth who went “out of control”, but dismissed the involvement of any foreign hand behind it.

Leh Apex Body co-chairman Chering Dorjay rejected the involvement of “foreign hand” in the violence and demanded a judicial probe into Wednesday's incident that claimed four lives.