It was divided along with Article 370 removal in 2019 from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh was declared a separate union territory. Organizations like Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance are constantly talking to the central government and demanding full state status to Ladakh. With this demand, there were violent demonstrations in Leh on Wednesday, in which four people lost their lives and more than 70 people were injured. This demand of Ladakh is six years old, ever since it has been separated from Jammu and Kashmir.
Wangchuk became the face of Ladakh movement
Famous environmentalist and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Sonam Wangchuk has also been agitating for the last six years with the demand for constitutional and administrative rights for Ladakh. His movement started in the year 2019, when Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and made a separate union territory. This decision was described by the people of Ladakh as adverse to their identity, culture, environment and resources and opposed to this.
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The movement is mainly being led by Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance. Sonam Wangchuk is also a major face of this movement. Full state status for Ladakh is his most prominent demand. Apart from this, under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, giving Ladakh status of autonomous and tribal sector, formation of separate public service commission for Ladakh, demand for different Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil is also gaining momentum.
Union territory formed six years ago
Sonam Wangchuk is continuously fasting, march and meetings to give Ladakh full state status. The foundation of this movement is the decision of the central government, under which Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories six years ago. Ladakh became a separate union territory without the assembly from Jammu and Kashmir, where there is only one Lok Sabha seat. The people of Ladakh were initially happy with this separation, because for a long time they wanted to want a distinct identity from Jammu and Kashmir. However, Ladakh was directly under the central government as a union territory without the assembly, which increased concerns about their land and culture among the local people.
Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance raised the demand to include Ladakh full state status as well as include it in the sixth schedule. Under this list, the tribal areas of the northeast have control over land and resources. Sonam Wangchuk, being the main face of Ladakh, also became the face of this movement. He clearly says that without joining the sixth schedule, it will be difficult to avoid the exploitation of the natural resources of Ladakh and this may put the local culture in danger.
Battle to save culture and resources
A year after Ladakh became a union territory, that is, in 2020, the anger of the local people increased as the central government did not take any concrete steps on their demands. Sonam Wangchuk started raising her demands peacefully. During this time, he began to unite the local people on the need to save Ladakh’s culture using his experience of education and environmental protection.
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After this, in the year 2022, Sonam Wangchuk raised the issue of water in view of the increasing pressure for water and resources in Ladakh. He said that without constitutional security, the delicate situation of Ladakh and the water resources here is under threat. During this time, there were demonstrations in many places in the state, but till then the movement was not started on the scale.
Accused of house arrest
In the year 2023, Sonam Wangchuk claimed that she was under house arrest in Ladakh. He told through social media that the administration asked him to sign a bond, in which he was pressurized not to give any statement. Sonam Wangchuk called it an attack on freedom of expression and reiterated his demands for Ladakh tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This year, demonstrations took place at Leh and Kargil, in which local organizations supported Ladakh’s demands. Wangchuk again started raising the issue of cultural security of Ladakh.
From the year 2024, the movement started gaining momentum. Sonam Wangchuk started a 21 -day fast from March 6, in which he took only salt and water. This fast started at Shaheed Park in Leh, where many people including seven ex -servicemen sat on a dharna with him. Given the inaccessibility of the area, this fast was a difficult challenge in this cold place. After finishing the fast, Sonam Wangchuk said that this is not the end of the movement, but a new beginning.
After this, in July 2024, Sonam Wangchuk warned the central government that if the center does not start a conversation with the representatives of Ladakh, he will start a 28 -day fast on Independence Day. He also submitted a memorandum to PM Modi during the Kargil Vijay Day, in which his four demands were repeated.
Travel to Delhi Durbar
In September 2024, Sonam Wangchuk started a ‘Delhi Chalo Padayatra’ of about one thousand kilometers from Leh to Delhi. 130 people attended this journey. Its purpose was to draw the attention of the central government towards the demands of Ladakh. On 30 September, when he reached the Singhu border of Delhi, Delhi Police took him and his supporters into custody. Wangchuk called it ‘undemocratic’. Some opposition leaders in Delhi also supported his demand and met him.
After this, after being released from custody in October 2024, Sonam Wangchuk sought permission for a fast at Jantar Mantar, but the police also rejected it. Then, he started an indefinite hunger strike at Ladakh Bhavan in Delhi. During this time, organizations like Students Federation of India (SFI) supported him.
The fast started on September 10
Wangchuk ended the fast after a 16 -day hunger strike on 21 October 2024, when the Ministry of Home Affairs assured to talk on his demands in December. He described the fast as part of the ‘peaceful Gandhian protest’ and said that he would wait for the meeting to meet the leaders. In December 2024, Wangchuk met farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal at Khanauri border, who was on hunger strike demanding MSP. Wangchuk showed solidarity with the farmers and expressed support from the people of Ladakh.
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After this, on September 10, Sonam Wangchuk started a 35 -day fast at Shaheed Park in Leh. During this time, people associated with social organizations from all over the country reached Ladakh in support of him. The movement in Ladakh became violent on Wednesday. The protesters, especially the youth, threw stones at the BJP office and Hill Council in Leh and set fire to the CRPF car. The central government blamed Wangchuk for this violence. The government alleges that the crowd was provoked by referring to ‘Arab Spring’ and Gen Z Protest. Wangchuk denied these allegations and said that he never used the word like Gen Z Revolution.
Appeal for peace by ending fast
After the violence in Leh, Wangchuk ended the 15 -day hunger strike and appealed to the youth to maintain peace. He said that this is a sad day for Ladakh. We were on a peaceful path for the last five years, but our aim will be weak due to violence. The central government has decided to hold the proposed meeting of October 6 in 25-26 September, so that there can be talks with organizations like Lab and KDA.
Section 163 of BNSS was implemented in Ladakh since the violence in Leh on Wednesday, under which more than five people are banned from accumulating one place. Internet service has been slowed across the state, so that no one can further propaganda. The central government has moved a few steps ahead and increased the reservation of Scheduled Tribes from 45% to 84% percent. In the councils, one-third reservation has been announced for women. In spite of its full state status, other major demands have not been agreed so far.
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