Leh (Ladakh) [India], September 30 (ANI): Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, has strongly condemned the arrest of her husband, who has been protesting against the centre while pressing on demands of statehood to Ladakh, and inclusion of the Union Territory in the sixth schedule of the Constitution.
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution contains Articles 244(2) and 275(1), which read, “Provisions as to the Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.” It relates to the administration of tribal areas and advocates for the creation of autonomous district councils.
Refuting the allegations against Wangchuk being in touch with a Pakistani Intelligence Operative, Angmo accused the Ladakh police of working with an “agenda”. “Whatever the DGP is saying, he has an agenda. They don’t want to implement the 6th Schedule under any circumstances and want to make someone a scapegoat,” she alleged.
Speaking to ANI, Gitanjali on Tuesday said that they attended a climate change conference organised by the United Nations and a Pakistani media outlet.
She said, ” This is absolutely wrong and false, we condemn it to the core. A narrative is being formed to frame someone. When the UT government was buying Chinese tablets, he (Wangchuk) was talking about tackling China not with bullets but with a wallet. How can such a person be anti-national?”
“In February, we went to a conference organised by the UN and Dawn media on climate change. If India plays cricket with China, will the players and cricket bodies be anti-national? A conference on glaciers which provide water to all the countries from Bangladesh to Afghanistan… If a person participates in such a conference, will he be an ISI agent? What is the evidence behind it? They are saying a Pakistani entered here, so the MHA should answer.”
Replying to the DGP Ladakh’s allegations that labelled Wangchuk as ‘anti-national’, Gitanjali asked if the government was awarding an anti-national when it awarded him for the solar-heated buildings and Ice Stupas.
“A person who works for the environment, for the army, who has dedicated his career to grassroots efforts for the youth, and has been recognised by the world–this very government, when RK Singh was energy minister, awarded HIAL the first prize for passive solar-heated buildings, which the army currently uses. Was this government blind before?” she asked.
“Do they not see that they are awarding someone who is anti-national? The Minister of Tribal Affairs awarded ice stupas — did they not realise that it was anti-national? How weak is their intelligence system?” Gitanjali added.
Gitanjali’s remarks came as Ladakh DGP Jamwal addressed a press conference, stating that the police had arrested a Pakistan PIO who was in touch with Wangchuk.
He said, “We arrested a Pakistan PIO in the recent past who was reporting back across. We have a record of this. He (Sonam Wanghchuk) had attended a Dawn event in Pakistan. He also visited Bangladesh. So, there is a big question mark on him…Investigation is being done.”
She told ANI that Wangchuk only advocated for the inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which she said is important for democracy in the Union Territory. Gitanjali noted that the movement for statehood cannot be undermined as it has the support of the people of Ladakh.
She added, “It’s essential to acknowledge that not only does Sonam Wangchuk advocate for the Sixth Schedule, but the entire leadership supports him, as do all citizens of Ladakh and possibly the entire country. Because he is simply voicing the people’s wishes to the government… These individuals believe that by attacking their reputation from all angles, they can undermine this movement. However, this movement resides in everyone’s heart.”
“The Sixth Schedule is not anti-development. It doesn’t imply that the people won’t allow the government to do anything there. The Sixth Schedule simply states that democracy is important in any region, and that a fragile ecosystem or tribal area has its own ways; your development cannot be their development,” Gitanjali J Angmo told ANI.
Amid curfew and surveillance, she claimed that they are under a virtual house arrest, and HAIL staff and students were also kept under detention.
“Yesterday, CRPF followed you into our campus. Is this democracy? We’re virtually under house arrest; people are questioned when they come and go. Our staff and students were detained overnight, and others are being taken without reason. They aim to create fear in a peaceful area. Democracy is about dialogue, not oppression,” she said.
Gitanjali J Angmo described the situation as “sad and unfortunate” and slammed the authorities for imposing restrictions on a community that, according to her, has long been known for its peace and patriotism.
Angmo told ANI that the curfew imposed on the pretext of “youth protest” is condemnable, claiming that it was “peace-loving,” and that it was the CRPF’s use of tear gas that inhibited the protest from being peaceful.
“Whatever has happened in Leh over the past six days and in the first four years is a very sad and unfortunate incident. No one is more peace-loving, patriotic, and nationalist than the people of Leh. First of all, imposing curfew in such areas is absolutely wrong, and we condemn it. Secondly, we condemn the reason given for this curfew, which is the youth protest. Because the youth were protesting in a peace-loving manner that day, had the CRPF not used tear gas, this would have been a very peaceful protest,” Wanghchuk’s wife said.
She added, “This situation is so sad that you are giving the wrong branding to a very peaceful place.”
Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday condemned the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk, and claimed that the centre realises the detention of the climate activist under the National Security Act (NSA) has been ‘counter-productive’.
“They also know that this arrest (of Sonam Wangchuk) is counter-productive, for the BJP and Centre. Nationally, internationally, the image of the government and the BJP has been damaged a lot,” the senior lawyer said in a press conference in Delhi.
He further stated that he expects the government to issue a detention order for 15 days initially, which will then be subsequently extended.
“We expect that they will do the same thing they did in other cases, too. The first order will be for 15 days. That is how they work; they did multiple extensions with Chandrashekhar Azad (Nagina MP). Let’s see what they do,” he mentioned.
“The officials are supposed to give a copy of the NSA order within 5 days, which has not been given to either the climate activist or his wife, Gitanjali Wangchuk, despite certain senior police officials giving assurances,” said the advocate.
Bhushan further criticised the Home Ministry revoking the FCRA [Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act] licence of Wangchuk’s NGO, Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), terming it “illegal”.
“That is totally illegal, even the cancellation of FCRA. Mr Wangchuk had responded the FCRA notice, had responded to threat of taking over land, if you read his responses you will see that there is absolutely no ground for either taking back that land, closure of the institute, CBI investigation etc, these are all totally malafide actions being undertaken by the government, only to get somehow him embroiled in all this sohe cannot lead this movement and to defame him,” he said.
On challenging the NSA order, Bhushan said that it is “certainly a serious case” in which the Supreme Court should take suo-motu cognisance, but mentioned that it rarely ever happens involving an individual person, claiming that the court instead waits for the affected party to approach for relief.
“The Supreme Court very rarely takes suo-motu cognisance of anything. But yes, it is a very serious case, and this is certainly a case of taking suo-motu cognisance. But especially if it is involving one particular person, then the Supreme Court rarely takes any suo-motu action, because they feel that if that person themselves wants, why should we on our own do this,” he said.
Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act NSA on September 26 and shifted to Jodhpur jail shortly after.
The arrest happened following violence in Leh during protests, which claimed the lives of atleast four people. The restrictions under section 163 of BNSS, which were imposed in the region, were eased for three hours today, allowing people to buy essential items. The protesters have been demanding inclusion of the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
A total of 44 people have been arrested in connection with the violence. (ANI)
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