Ladakh admin cancels land allotment to institute; Wangchuk, Leh body term move 'witch-hunt'

Leh: The Ladakh administration has cancelled land allotment to Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), drawing a strong reaction from its founder and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk who termed it as "witch-hunt" to suppress the demand of the people for statehood and extension of Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the Union Territory.

Leh Apex Body (LAB), which along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) is spearheading an agitation in support of the demand over the past four years, also criticised the decision and said they will not remain silent and any consequences will rest with those trying to "suppress our voice".

Leh Deputy Commissioner Romil Singh Donk in his order on August 21 said the land measuring 1,076 kanal and 1 marla (over 53.8 hectares) allotted to HIAL "stands escheated to the State, i.e., LAHDC (Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council) and the Tehsildar, Leh, shall remove all the encumbrances from the said piece of state land as per provisions of the law and effect entries in the revenue record accordingly".

The order said the land in Phyang was given to HIAL on lease for 40 years and it has not been used for the purpose allotted "as no University (as recognised by law) has been set up" to date.

"No lease agreement has been executed in respect of the allotted land and no formal handing over and taking over of the said land has taken place through Tehsildar Leh till date, as per record," the order issued on August 21 said.

Reacting to the cancellation of the land allotment, Wangchuk along with the chief executive officer of HIAL questioned the "motivated" decision and said "it is a deliberate attempt to harass us on baseless charges" and they will move to the court for justice.

"HIAL was established in 2017-18 and we received a notice yesterday (August 22) that the land allotment to the institute stands cancelled on three points which are baseless that can be proved with data, facts and evidence," Gitanjali Angmo, its CEO and co-founder Gitanjali Angmo, an entrepreneur, social worker and educator, told reporters here.

Angmo, flanked by Wangchuk, countered one by one the points raised by the Leh Deputy Commissioner and said more than 400 students have completed long-term and short-term courses and fellowships over the past five years.

"This is an alternative university and does not require UGC registration but we applied the same on March 16, 2022 and deposited Rs 15 lakh on March 28, 2022… We met (education minister) Dharmendra Pradhan on March 15, 2023 and he proudly tweeted about our meeting with him," she said.

However, she claimed that on November 5, 2024, when she met the minister again and informed that the UGC and his ministry had kept their file on hold for the last three years as Wangchuk is part of the agitation seeking a Sixth Schedule for Ladakh.

After the formation of Ladakh Union Territory in August 2019, she said they have approached the government time and again for completing the lease deed but "got a response from them that the policy for lease has not been formulated and in the meanwhile, you can carry on with construction activities".

"The land was allotted by LAHDC, but when it was cancelled, it was done by the deputy commissioner without even taking into confidence the hill council, which is a clear violation of its mandate," Wangchuk said, adding it is a matter of grave concern for the people of Ladakh.

"We are not staying silent and are approaching the court of law to seek justice," he said.

Angmo said the institute has already signed about five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with universities in different parts of the world and many of their foreign students are visiting Ladakh for their research.

"Our institute has the ability to prove itself as the pride of India and needs whole-hearted support… such institutions should not be sabotaged if the government believes in nationalism and patriotism. We want India to come to the world map on education, a dream which is yet to be fulfilled in the past 75 years of independence," she said.

She requested the Ladakh administration to stop the "witch hunt" and not mix education with politics if they truly love India.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey said this was an attempt by the Ladakh administration to silence the people of the UT who are seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule.

"I want to tell them that if they think on these lines, they are mistaken. We will not be cowed down by such acts," Dorjey, flanked by other members of LAB including Wangchuk, told reporters.