NEW DELHI: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday began a hunger strike at Ladakh Bhawan in the national capital after the Delhi Police denied him permission to hold a protest at the iconic site Jantar Mantar.
"After trying everything possible to find a legitimate place for our anshan fast in New Delhi, we have finally decided to start our fast here at Ladakh Bhavan New Delhi where I was virtually detained for the last 4 days," Wangchuk conveyed through social media.
He also stated that there are elderly men and women of around 75 years of age who walked along with him all the way to Delhi from Ladakh for a period of 32 days -- roughly 1000 Km.
Mentioning the reasons of denying their request to hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar, the Delhi Police, in a letter to the coordinator of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) representing the protesters, said the request was received at a "very short notice", and no specific time frame was mentioned about the gathering.
"The guidelines require that applications for holding any demonstration at the Jantar Mantar must be sent at least 10 days prior to the planned event. It also requires the duration of the planned event should be between 10 am and 5 pm," the letter from Additional DCP Anyesh Roy read.
The officer further stated that LAB's application mentioned that this "hunger strike" was planned when the expected meeting with the top leadership has not materialized.
"It is quite clear that this proposed anshan is going to be a prolonged one. There is no provision under the extant laws, rules and guidelines under which permission can be granted for any kind of anshan', let alone an open-ended, without timeframe, mass event, as is discernible from the application," it read.
The 58-year-old Wangchuk, who is leading the 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra' -- a month-long march that began in Leh and is being spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), was detained by the Delhi Police at Haryana-Delhi border when he along with around 150 protestors was entering the city on September 30.
Notably, Wangchuk was let off on late October 1 but again detained the next morning as the climate activist and his colleagues were adamant to march towards the central part of Delhi. Later on October 2, Wangchuk was released and escorted to Raj Ghat where he paid obeisance to Mahatam Gandhi.
Outside Rajghat when TNIE asked him about his next step Wangchuk said that they have given a memorandum to the government to secure Ladakh "within the constitutional provisions". Wangchuk told TNIE that the Ministry of Home Affairs has assured them that they will be allowed to meet the President and the Prime Minister in the coming days following which they ended their hunger strike.
However, as there was no further development with Wangchuk's meeting with the top leadership of the country, the 150-odd protestors began their Dharna at the Ladakh Bhawan. Both LAB and KDA have been demanding Sixth Schedule status and statehood for Union Territory Ladakh.