Sonam Wangchuk To Sit On 'Indefinite Fast' To Draw Govt's Attention Towards Ladakh

Speaking on the reasons behind the hunger strike, Wangchuk said that he and his team were denied a suitable location for their peaceful protest, forcing them to begin their hunger strike at Ladakh Bhavan, where they felt "virtually detained."

Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk speaks to the media as he arrives at Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the latter's birth anniversary, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

In a bid to draw the attention of the Central government towards Ladakh's demands for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, activist Sonam Wangchuk launched an indefinite hunger strike on Sunday.

Speaking on the reasons behind the hunger strike, Wangchuk told ANI that he and his team were denied a suitable location for their peaceful protest, forcing them to begin their hunger strike at Ladakh Bhavan, where they felt "virtually detained."

"We were seeking a place where we could hold our peaceful hunger strike, but we weren't given that place. So we had no option but to begin (a hunger strike) from Ladakh Bhavan, where we were virtually detained," he said.

The activist asserted that his primary objective is to meet with India's top leaders to discuss the grievances of the people of Ladakh. Despite previous assurances, no meeting dates have been provided, prompting him to continue his hunger strike after briefly halting it at Rajghat.

"The assurance that we were given to meet the top leadership of the country, we haven't been given any dates for that, so we were forced to start our hunger strike again, which we broke on Rajghat. Our appeal has always been the same—after walking for 30 to 32 days, we have come here and would like to meet some of the top leaders of our country in the capital to share our grievances with them," Wangchuk said.

Wangchuk emphasizes that he is not seeking support but rather welcomes those who understand the struggles faced by Ladakh and India.

"I am not asking for support from anyone. We welcome those who understand what is happening in India, what is happening with Ladakh, and what our rights are," he said.

Earlier this week, Wangchuk and a group of around 150 supporters were detained by Delhi Police at the Delhi-Haryana border. They were told about prohibitory orders after travelling for hours on their bus.

"We thought we'd keep to under five [people], but the police were bent on either returning us to Ladakh. They told us to go back, and of course, we hadn't come for that," he elaborated.

The activist and the group were detained by the police following alleged violations of the prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNS.

"They wanted to detain us, and they did in their police stations. It was not comfortable, but they were making their best efforts. We have no grudges, especially because this actually helped us reach out to more people in the country about our issues," Wangchuk further stated.

During their detention, Wangchuk said, he and his group resorted to Satyagraha, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's teachings. "We went on Anshan (hunger strike). Our conditions for breaking our Anshan were two: take us to Rajghat and fulfill our meeting request with the Prime Minister, the President, or the Home Minister," he said. Authorities assured them that a meeting would happen soon.

"We will appeal to them to resume the talks going on between the central government and leaders of Ladakh," Wangchuk added.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court disposed of petitions regarding Wangchuk's detention, confirming that he is no longer under restraint. Wangchuk and his supporters aim to advocate for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, seeking inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

(With ANI Inputs)