Activist Sonam Wangchuk 'incited' Leh violence using 'provocative statements', alleges Centre

The Union government on Wednesday claimed that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk incited a group of protesters who set fire to the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Leh through his “provocative statements”.

In a statement, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs claimed that “certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress” in the ongoing talks between representatives of the government and Ladakh groups, and were “trying to sabotage the dialogue process”.

This came hours after violence and police firing in Leh that left four persons dead and more than 45 injured during protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Demonstrators clashed with and threw stones at the police, and set fire to a police vehicle.

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution guarantees protection for land and nominal autonomy for citizens in designated tribal-dominated areas. In Ladakh, more than 97% of the population belongs to the Scheduled Tribes.

In its statement, the home ministry noted that Wangchuk had begun his hunger strike on September 10 to demand statehood for Ladakh.

“It is well known that Government of India has been actively engaged with Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance on same issues,” stated the ministry.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance were formed in 2020 to represent...

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