SRINAGAR: Ladakh climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk, whom the centre has accused of being behind the recent unrest and his NGO’s FCRA licence has been cancelled over alleged violations, has found support from two former J&K Chief Ministers, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
“It is wrong and meant to keep people of the country away from the truth,” three-time former J&K Chief Minister and ruling National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on MHA blaming Wangchuk for Ladakh unrest.
The MHA has blamed Sonam Wanghuck’s provocative speeches for unrest in Leh, which led to four people being killed and 80 others injured after protests by youth in favour of statehood and Sixth Schedule demand for Ladakh turned violent.
“It is clear that the mob was incited by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements. Incidentally, amidst these violent developments, he broke his fast and left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation,” the MHA has said.
The former J&K CM said Wangchuk never left Gandhi's non-violent path. “The youth in Leh angered by the denial of rights followed the violent path”.
“It is not Wangchuk’s responsibility and he is not involved in it,” Abdullah said and appealed to the Government of India not to use force and hold meaningful dialogue with leaders of Ladakh.
Abdullah also refuted claims of foreign interference in the region, attributing the mounting frustration to the government's failure to fulfil promises made to Ladakh.
"The frustration of the people of Ladakh is not driven by foreign interference but by the unfulfilled commitments and promises made by the Union Government. The demand for statehood is legitimate, and the Centre must take it seriously. If not addressed, this discontent will continue to simmer and could eventually lead to a much more serious situation," he said.
Another former J&K Chief Minister and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti came in support of Wangchuk, whose NGO, Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), FCRA license was cancelled by the MHA yesterday citing violations.
Citing several other discrepancies in the accounts of SECMOL including fund transfer from Sweden, the MHA invoked its powers under Section 14 of the FCRA to cancel the licence granted to the organisation with immediate effect.
The CBI has also started an inquiry into alleged Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) violations in Wangchuk-linked Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), whose land allotment was recently cancelled by the administration.
“The Home Ministry’s cancellation of Sonam Wangchuk’s FCRA license is not governance, its frustration disguised as punishment,” Mehbooba said in a post on X.
“He (Wangchuk) is not anti-government or anti-national. He is simply holding the Union government to its own promises, especially the commitment to extend the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, to protect its land, jobs, identity, and fragile culture. Seeking accountability doesn’t amount to crime,” she said.
However, Wangchuk has rejected all charges levelled against him by the MHA and termed it a “witch-hunting”.
There is speculation that Wangchuk, a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018, may be booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) and detained.
“I have come to know through good sources that PSA would be invoked against me so that I will be detained for two years without trial and without bail. I don’t fear detention. Police can come anytime to arrest me,” he said.
“I think my detention will awaken the country more than my freedom,” said the climate activist, who called off his month-long fast on Wednesday after the violence in Leh.
