Wed Oct 02 08:56:50 UTC 2024: ## Climate Activist Sonam Wangchuk Detained at Delhi Border, Ladakh in Uproar

**New Delhi, October 2, 2024:** Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and 150 of his supporters were detained at the Haryana-Delhi border on September 30, sparking outrage in Ladakh and raising concerns about the shrinking space for dissent in India.

Wangchuk, who was leading a foot march from Leh to Delhi, dubbed the “Delhi Chalo Padyatra,” was demanding the implementation of constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, a promise made by the ruling BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The march was scheduled to culminate at Rajghat on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2.

The detentions, carried out under a prohibitory order citing the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, came amidst the ongoing agitation in Ladakh for statehood and other demands. The region’s representative organisations, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), have been leading the campaign for the past four years.

“It is a blatant violation of our fundamental rights. It is an affront not only on democratic rights but also to the dignity of the people of Ladakh,” stated the KDA in a statement.

The LAB and KDA have condemned the police action and called for the immediate release of the detainees. Ladakh observed a complete shutdown on October 1 in protest.

Several political leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, criticized the detentions.

“A government that couldn’t stop the Chinese incursion instead stops its own citizens from peacefully entering their national capital city,” remarked Abdullah, highlighting the irony of the situation.

The detentions have also been condemned by civil liberties groups like the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), who called the police action a “misuse of powers” to silence dissent.

Two petitions have been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking the release of Wangchuk and his supporters, with a hearing scheduled for October 3.

The incident has drawn parallels with the farmers’ protests in 2020-21, raising concerns about the government’s crackdown on peaceful dissent.

Read More