Leh: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested Friday by a police party here, two days after violent protests by supporters of the movement for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution left four persons dead and 90 others injured, officials said.
Wangchuk was taken into custody by the police party led by Ladakh DGP S D Singh Jamwal at 2.30 pm, the officials said.
It was not immediately clear what charges were pressed against Wangchuk.
The home ministry had blamed Wangchuk, a senior member of Leh Apex Body (LAB), which, along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) is spearheading the agitation in support of the demands for the past over five years, for provocation leading to the violence.
Wangchuk, who was leading a hunger strike in support of the demands, however, denied the charges. He denounced the violence and also ended the fortnight-long fast following the violence on Wednesday.
Who’s Wangchuk?
Sonam Wangchuk is married to Rebecca Norman, an American citizen educated at Harvard University and the School for International Training.
The latter is deeply connected to the US State Department and is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Open Societies Foundation of George Soros, and the Gates Foundation.
Rebecca Norman is politically aligned with the Democratic Party.
After his marriage, Sonam Wangchuk’s global recognition and foreign grants accelerated. In 2002, he was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship funded by the Skoll and Rockefeller foundations.
When Manmohan Singh became PM in 2004, Sonam Wangchuk began to enjoy unprecedented political patronage. He was appointed to the Drafting Committee of the Ladakh Vision 2025 Document, formally launched by Singh in 2005. Later, Sonam Wangchuk served as Education Advisor for a Danish NGO, further deepening his international links.
The Congress era proved especially fruitful for Sonam. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Governing Council for Elementary Education by the Ministry of Human Resources.
In 2008, Congress signed a controversial MOU with China, raising suspicions about the party’s approach to sensitive regions bordering China, such as Ladakh.
Popular perception about Sonam is shaped by Amir Khan’s movie 3 Idiots. However, the truth is less romantic. Chetan Bhagat did not have Sonam in mind when writing Five Point Someone, based on which 3 Idiots was made. The media was instrumental in making the connection.
From 2016 onwards Sonam’s global recognition soared. He won the Fred M. Packard award in the same year, the TN Khoshoy Memorial Award in 2017, and the Ramon Magasaysay Award in 2018. Sonam was being built up for bigger ambitions.
While the accolades were pouring in they also highlighted his close ties to global organisations well known for advancing Western strategic interests in developing countries. The Ford Foundation has a long history of involvement in India’s political and social movements.
Sonam’s close and continuing association with foreign-funded LEAD India and the International Association for Ladakh Studies keeps raising concerns about his objectives. His climate project, ICE STUPAS, faced criticism from the locals for being unsustainable.
His recent calls to halt the Army’s infrastructure projects in Ladakh, citing climate concerns, have sparked serious unease.
Even though October 6th was already fixed as the date for discussions with MHA on Sonam’s demands,his sudden hunger strike and his provocative speeches to Gen Z is linked with the unprovoked violence seen today, which has led to the most unfortunate loss of lives.
India is now fully alert about the directions and inputs coming from international sources to Sonam Wangchuk on his future course of action in a sensitive border area. His agitation has been raked up by Pakistan to demand talks on J&K. The Chinese are also watching keenly.
Those who dismiss concerns about the Deep State hobnobbing in Ladakh should do their research before dismissing concerns. The agitation came shortly after Rahul Gandhi mentioned a Gen Z type of protest like Nepal in India.
The Indian State will not bow to such sinister foreign forces. We shall overcome while taking the people of Ladakh along. This is the way forward for a thriving democracy.
