NEW DELHI, 27 Sep: Former Lok Sabha member Takam Sanjoy has demanded immediate release of renowned climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk to restore faith in the democratic values of India.
Wangchuk, who was leading an agitation in support of the demand for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, was arrested on Friday by a police party from Leh under the National Security Act (NSA), and the licence for the NGO Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh was reportedly cancelled by the union Home Ministry over alleged violations of the Act.
Sanjoy described the arrest of Wangchuk and cancellation of the NGO’s licence as uncalled for and unconstitutional. “It suppresses the voice of the common masses, reflecting the saffron brigade’s true colour as anti-people,” he said.
Sanjoy added: “Peaceful agitation for any genuine demand is enshrined in the Constitution,
which was the weapon of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi to gain freedom for this great nation in 1947. Thus, Wangchuk’s arrest amounts to an insult to Gandhiji.”
“Any union territory is usually upgraded to a state to meet democratic aspirations of the people,” Sanjoy said, describing Wangchuk’s demand for statehood as genuine.
Criticising the BJP for not accepting the demand, Sanjoy further said, “The BJP wishes to keep Ladakh at its fingertips through the lieutenant governor, as seen in the past how Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi dictate such gubernatorial post. Or who knows, the BJP might have some hidden agenda to degrade the present union territory of Ladakh to a lower status to divest simple Ladhakhis of their democratic rights.”
The former parliamentarian further said: “Wanchuk’s demand is justified by the fact that the Himalayan region plays a critical role in facilitating nearly 80% of India’s water supply, even as it continues to face recurring climate disasters.” He said Wangchuk’s agitation reflected longstanding grievances over land rights for cultural preservation, environmental protection and local governance since Ladakh was carved out from Jammu and Kashmir as a separate UT in 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370.
Wagchuk is neither antinational nor has any record of any unwanted activity, Sanjoy said, while criticising the arrest of Wangchuk under the NSA.
“The BJP has taken back Bharat to the pre-independence era, worse than the British. It is high time for the people of India to understand the meaning: ‘Modi hai to mumkin hai (If Modi is there, then it is possible)’. Such a move by the BJP could be described as ‘worst 2025 blunder’ for which it evoked condemnation from various quarters,” he said.
