Ladakh police chief sees ‘foreign link’ in protests

Ladakh's top police officer on Saturday defended climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's detention under the National Security Act, describing him as the "main instigator of violence" and claiming that investigators were looking into his alleged Pakistan connections following Wednesday's deadly protests.

- Mir Ehsan

Director general of police SD Singh Jamwal told reporters in Leh that a Pakistani Intelligence Operative arrested last month had been sending videos of Wangchuk's protests across the border, raising questions about foreign involvement in the unrest that killed four people and injured over 100.

"He had his own agenda. There is a probe of foreign funding, violation of FCRA against him ... We have a PIO with us who was reporting across the border, sending videos of the protests led by Wangchuk," Jamwal said at a press conference as authorities eased curfew restrictions for the first time since Wednesday's violence.

The arrest has sparked outrage among opposition parties. Ladakh Congress asserted that no amount of "vilification campaign and trumped-up charges" would diminish Wangchuk's standing as the "most visible and vocal face of Ladakh agitation."

The police chief described the violence as unprecedented, saying "this type of incident has never taken place in the history of Ladakh." He claimed Wangchuk had "worked a lot to derail" ongoing political talks between the Centre and Ladakh representatives, despite the government scheduling fresh negotiations for October 6.