New Delhi: Days after activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), men and women in Arunachal Pradesh’s Itanagar came out on the streets to protest against the government action. Similar protests were seen in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand too.
Around 200 people held a candlelight vigil and organised a peaceful march on 2 October in the streets of Itanagar and raised slogans against Wangchuk’s detention.
“There are Buddhists in Arunachal Pradesh too. But we just didn’t protest because of religion. The people of Arunachal know Sonam Wangchuk and his work. We are all fellow tribals who understand the importance of the decision-making power for tribals and also why Delhi shouldn’t be making decisions for us,” North East Human Rights (NEHR) chairperson and lawyer-activist Ebo Mili, who organised the protests, told ThePrint.
The indigenous community of Arunachal Pradesh has been protesting against a mega dam project there. The dam is being seen as a strategic move to counter China, which is building a dam near the Arunachal Pradesh border.
“As fellow tribals, we understand the importance of water, land and climate. We know what Wangchuk has done for the people of Ladakh and his environment-friendly development ideas,” the activist added.
Arunachal Pradesh has protection under Inner Line Permit, originating under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, which functions as a shield against demographic and economic marginalisation of the indigenous tribal population by regulating entry of non-residents.
Wangchuk was detained two days after protests demanding Sixth Schedule protection and statehood for Ladakh turned violent in the Leh city on 24 September. Four people, including an ex-serviceman, died in police firing and violence ruptured the otherwise peaceful city.
Slogans demanding Wangchuk’s release were also raised in Himachal Pradesh’s Rohtang Pass. Members of the Save Lahoul-Spiti Society also questioned his detention under the NSA, and stood in solidarity with the people of Ladakh. Similar demands were raised in Uttarakhand too.
Wangchuk’s wife and Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) co-founder Gitanjali J. Angmo has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against his detention, calling it illegal.
Former Arunachal MP Takam Sanjoy has also criticised action against Wangchuk. “As a former Lok Sabha member, former All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union president and North East Students’ Union founding member, I demand immediate unconditional release of the staunch nationalist so as to restore faith in the democratic values of India,” Sanjoy reportedly said.
The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance had been spearheading the protests for Sixth Schedule protection for Ladakh. The people of this region say that they wanted UT status with a legislature which the government didn’t give them. Many feel this deprived them of their democratic voice.
Ladakh was granted Union Territory status on August 5, 2019, following the revocation of Article 370 and its bifurcation from Jammu and Kashmir, a longstanding demand of most Ladakhis. However, talks between the Centre and the Apex Body have been suspended, as the latter is demanding the release of Sonam Wangchuk and its youth leaders, and is urging the Centre to take active steps to restore peace in the region.
In August, the lease of the ground on which HIAL is situated was also cancelled by the government saying that they failed to formalise a deed. Moreover, the MHA also accused both institutes that Wangchuk founded—HIAL and Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh—of violating Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act guidelines.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: An ‘unbearably curious’ boy who became voice of Ladakh—a village recalls the story of Sonam Wangchuk