New Delhi, 13 October, 2024: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and approximately 20 protesters were detained by Delhi Police on Sunday during a demonstration outside Ladakh Bhawan and taken to the Mandir Marg police station, according to officials.
Authorities had deployed heavy police presence to maintain order.
In an effort to ensure law and order, substantial police forces were stationed at Ladakh Bhawan, an official said.
Some protesters contended that they were not engaged in a protest but were merely sitting peacefully, according to reports.
A senior police official clarified that the group did not have permission to demonstrate at Ladakh Bhawan.
“They have submitted an application to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar, which is currently under review. They are not allowed to protest at any other location. We have detained a few individuals, who will be released soon,” the official stated, as reported by news agency PTI.
Wangchuk and his supporters had previously marched from Leh to Delhi for Ladakh’s inclusion in the sixth schedule of the Constitution.
They were detained by Delhi Police at the Singhu border on September 30 and released on October 2. This marked their third protest demanding sixth schedule status.
Their demands also include a meeting with top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The sixth schedule of the Constitution provides for the governance of tribal areas in the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. It allows for the creation of autonomous councils with legislative, judicial, executive, and financial authority, enabling these regions to manage their affairs independently.
Moreover, the protesters are calling for statehood, the establishment of a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha constituencies for the Leh and Kargil districts.
The climate activist explained that people in Ladakh thought they would be protected by the Sixth Schedule. “This rule is designed to help places with hills and special tribal groups. Usually, if 50% of the population is tribal, they can get this protection. But in Ladakh, 97% of people are tribal, so they were sure they would qualify easily. They trusted that since the government made Ladakh a special area, they would also give them this protection. It seemed like an obvious choice to them.”
“The government itself assured the people of Ladakh again and again that this safeguard would be given to Ladakh, and they spoke in large gatherings about this,” Wangchuk had said.
“The government even kept it in its 2019 election manifesto — it was, in fact, one of the top three promises they made.” “Yet, four years later, nothing has happened,” he added.
The people of Ladakh and its leaders have been demanding safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and statehood from the government of India.
On March 6, hundreds of people assembled in Leh after talks between the Centre and a sub-committee of Ladakh leaders regarding statehood, the Sixth Schedule, PSC, and parliamentary seats for Ladakh failed with Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk launching a 21-day fast unto death demanding a devolution of power and constitutional protections against what he said is an onslaught of outside influence that threatens the loss of their tribal identity.
