Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: A fresh twist has emerged in the investigation against climate activist and Ladakh statehood campaigner Sonam Wangchuk, who was arrested on Friday for allegedly provoking this week’s protests in Leh that turned violent, leaving four people dead and dozens injured.
Ladakh’s Director General of Police, S D Singh Jamwal, told reporters on Saturday that investigators were examining Wangchuk’s past visits abroad, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, and his alleged contacts across the border. He claimed these "links" had cast a shadow on the activist’s role in the recent agitation.
Wangchuk, known globally for his environmental work, was arrested on Friday under the National Security Act that provides for long preventive detention without any scope for bail, on Friday and transferred to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.
“Recently, we arrested a Pakistani intelligence operative who had been in touch with Wangchuk and was sending information across the border. We also have evidence that he attended a Dawn media event in Pakistan. These aspects cannot be ignored,” Jamwal said.
The police chief alleged that Wangchuk’s actions went beyond activism and could have been aimed at derailing the dialogue between Ladakh leaders and the Centre on the region’s statehood and constitutional safeguards.
Jamwal added that “serious questions” were being asked about Wangchuk’s travels and associations, including his participation in events in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The allegations come as authorities continue to face anger in Leh and Kargil over the handling of the statehood demand. Wangchuk, who has been a prominent face of the movement, remains in custody as the probe deepens.
Authorities maintain that Wangchuk’s influence over the protests and his outreach to younger activists turned the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards into one of the most serious law-and-order challenges the region has faced since it became a Union Territory in 2019.
Wangchuk has been the main face of the agitation spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance for statehood and extension of sixth schedule to the Union Territory.
On Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta's remarks about foreign conspiracy in Wednesday's violence, he said three Nepal citizens were admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries and involvement of some others have also come to light.
He said 50 people have been taken into custody in connection with Wednesday's violence and "at least, half-a-dozen of them are suspected to be ringleaders."