Sun Oct 06 15:14:18 UTC 2024: ## Climate Activist Sonam Wangchuk Begins Indefinite Hunger Strike in Delhi
**New Delhi, October 6, 2024:** Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has begun an indefinite hunger strike at the Ladakh Bhavan in New Delhi along with other supporters after being denied permission to protest at Jantar Mantar. The Delhi Police cited the Supreme Court’s guidelines on protests at Jantar Mantar as the reason for the denial.
Wangchuk, who had led a foot march from Leh to Delhi, had earlier been detained by the police for five days. His demands include constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, including statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, employment opportunities for locals, and a meeting with top government officials.
The organizers, ‘People’s Movement For Sixth Schedule For Ladakh,’ had applied for permission to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar but were denied. Despite a meeting with the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and a subsequent fast at Rajghat, no date has been set for a meeting with top leaders.
Wangchuk expressed his frustration on social media, stating, “ANOTHER REJECTION ANOTHER FRUSTRATION. If Jantar Mantar is not allowed then please tell us which place is allowed. We want to abide by all laws and still express our grievance in a peaceful way. Why is it so difficult to follow the path of Gandhi in his own country. There must be a way…”
Ladakh became a Union Territory without a Legislative Assembly in 2019. Since then, people in Ladakh have been demanding statehood, inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, job reservation for locals, and increased political representation. Wangchuk’s hunger strike is the latest in a series of protests aimed at highlighting these demands.
First Piper 