The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea challenging the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA). The plea, filed by Wangchuk's wife, argues the detention is illegal and violates his fundamental rights.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered a probe into the September 24 violence in Leh, led by retired Supreme Court judge B S Chauhan, to investigate the circumstances leading to the law and order situation, police action, and the deaths of four people.
The move comes barely two days after the authorities lifted the restrictions in Leh, 22 days after they were first imposed following violent clashes during protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule Status that left four persons dead and 90 injured on September 24.
The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has announced it will not participate in talks with the central government until climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others arrested in Leh are released and a judicial probe into the recent firing incident is ordered.
Jailed activist Sonam Wangchuk has appealed to the people of Ladakh to maintain peace and unity and continue with the ongoing struggle for statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the true Gandhian way of non-violence, his lawyer said on Sunday.
Representatives from Ladakh have accepted an invitation from the Ministry of Home Affairs for a meeting in Delhi on October 22 to discuss their demands for statehood and safeguards for the Union Territory.
Ladakh Director General of Police S D Singh Jamwal on Saturday said Sonam Wangchuk is being probed for allegedly having links with Pakistan on the back of last month's arrest of a Pakistani Intelligence Operative who sent videos of his protests across the border.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Ladakh administration regarding the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA). Wangchuk's wife has filed a plea challenging the detention, claiming it violates his fundamental rights. The court has given the Centre and Ladakh administration 10 days to respond and has scheduled the next hearing for November 24.
The home ministry said the central government would continue to welcome the discussion with LAB and KDA through the high powered committee on Ladakh or any such platform.
Buddhist religious bodies and the Kargil Bar Association are demanding a judicial inquiry into the recent violence in Leh, Ladakh, which resulted in four deaths and numerous injuries. They are also calling for the release of detained individuals and compensation for victims' families.
A home ministry team reviews the security situation in Leh as curfew continues for the third day following violence related to demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule.
Government sources allege the recent violence in Ladakh was a politically motivated conspiracy, blaming certain individuals and activist Sonam Wangchuk for misleading the youth.
Activists from Himalayan states condemn the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk, demanding his release and supporting the call for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. They also warn of a larger crisis unfolding across the Himalayan region due to climate change and poor governance.
Ladakh Director General of Police S D Singh Jamwal on Saturday said forces were compelled to open fire on protesters, else the entire Leh would have been burned to the ground.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk called off his hunger strike as protests for Ladakh statehood and Sixth Schedule extension turned violent. The BJP office was set on fire, vehicles were torched, and clashes erupted, leading to the imposition of prohibitory orders.
'...than free Sonam Wangchuk.'
At least 50 people were detained as police and paramilitary forces strictly implemented curfew on Thursday in the violence-hit Leh, where four people were killed and over 80 others were injured when widespread clashes broke out a day before.
The administration appealed that the process of law should be allowed to take its own course and expressed confidence that "together we will bring back normalcy in the peace-loving Leh township and continue with our dialogue process".
The cancellation means the Leh-based institute will no longer be able to receive or utilise foreign funding.
An uneasy calm prevails in Ladakh as authorities enforce a curfew following clashes between security forces and protesters demanding statehood and constitutional protections. The violence resulted in fatalities and injuries, prompting detentions and political reactions.
'The government is distributing land in Ladakh as if they are selling cinema hall tickets.'
The letter said the high-powered committee of the ministry, which was holding talks with representatives from Ladakh, will meet them next on December 3.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and 150 Ladakhis were again detained after they were released by the Delhi Police late Tuesday night, even as their indefinite fast continue at the police stations, officials said on Wednesday.
A habeas corpus petition was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela for listing on October 3 by a lawyer for Wangchuk's "next friend".
Wangchuk, who has been camping at Ladakh Bhawan in the national capital, is yet to be approached by a central government representative, a group member said.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and several others who were detained at the Delhi border while marching to the capital to demand Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh on Tuesday launched an indefinite fast at police stations where they have been kept.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday sat on a fast at the Ladakh Bhawan where he was staying after the protesters were denied permission to stage the stir for Ladakh's Sixth Schedule status at Jantar Mantar.
The 14-member delegation of the Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance met the high-powered committee for Ladakh headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
The LAB leaders said they will continue with their struggle in a peaceful manner through chain hunger strikes and protests.
"The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny," he said.
Separately, the hunger strike by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh to "remind" the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of its promise to safeguard the Union Territory's fragile ecology and unique indigenous tribal culture entered its 15th day.
The ministry said the high powered committee for Ladakh headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai has been working actively with representatives of the ABL and the KDA and significant progress has been made.
Climate activist Soman Wangchuk announced on Sunday that he will launch a 28-day fast on Independence Day if the government does not invite Ladakh authorities for talks on demands for statehood and constitutional protection for the union territory.
The renowned education reformist said the end of the hunger strike is the beginning of the new phase of the ongoing agitation.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the August 5 notification of the election department of the Union territory of Ladakh for the hill council polls and ordered issuance of a fresh election schedule within a week.
What should have been a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency is now a three-corner fight with an alliance of local groups fielding an Independent to challenge the national parties.
Sonam Wangchuk, a key campaigner for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, on Monday said they would launch a fast unto death from February 19 to press their demands and that details of participation of local residents in the agitation were being worked out.
'Our fight is not against the country but against the BJP and its ideology. The BJP is not the country and vice versa'
Environmental activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk accused the BJP of reneging on its promise of including Ladakh under the sixth schedule.
'If the central government does not give rights to the people of Ladakh, then it won't be good for our country.'
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