Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk Released From Detention In Delhi, Ends Fast

The climate activist will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu to raise his demands.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his fast after he and his over 150 supporters from Ladakh were released from detention in Delhi. Wangchuk and other Ladakhis were detained at the Singhu border for "violating prohibitory orders", put in place just hours after they reached the Delhi border on Monday.

He and his supporters marched to Delhi as part of the "Delhi Chalo Padyatra', which started from Leh a month ago, demanding safeguards for Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution among other things. After release, Wangchuk said locals should be empowered in the Himalayas because they can preserve it.

"We have given a memorandum to the government to protect Ladakh under such constitutional provisions so that its ecology can be preserved, in this case, it is the Sixth Schedule, which gives locals the right to govern and manage the resources," Wangchuk said. 

Will Meet PM, President To Raise Our Demands: Wangchuk

The climate activist will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu to raise his demands. "In the coming days, we will meet the prime minister, president or home minister, this is the assurance we have been given by the home ministry," he said.

"We have demanded a democratic set-up for Ladakh, and the Sixth Schedule is also a part of it. We have been assured that we will meet top leadership, and the date of the meeting will be confirmed in a couple of days," he added.
During the detention, Wangchuk was kept at the Bawana police station while other 'padayatris' were at three other police stations at the Delhi-Haryana border.

Delhi Police has imposed section 163 (which was earlier section 144 of CrPC) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in the districts of New Delhi, North and Central and all police stations jurisdiction sharing the borders with other states till October 5.