New Delhi: Taking a dig at Delhi Police's detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters in the “Delhi Chalo Padyatra” on Monday night, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, termed the move unacceptable.
"The detention of Sonam Wangchuk ji and hundreds of Ladakhis who were peacefully marching for environmental and constitutional rights is unacceptable," Rahul Gandhi stated in a post on X.
Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi attributed the responsibility for the detention to the PM. “Modi ji, like with the farmers, this ‘Chakravyuh’ will be broken, and so will your arrogance. You will have to listen to Ladakh’s voice,” Gandhi wrote on X.
The detention of Sonam Wangchuk ji and hundreds of Ladakhis peacefully marching for environmental and constitutional rights is unacceptable.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 30, 2024
Why are elderly citizens being detained at Delhi’s border for standing up for Ladakh’s future?
Modi ji, like with the farmers, this…
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said she will meet activist Sonam Wangchuk and the people from Ladakh who were detained by the police at the Singhu border last night. Labelling the detention of the protesting individuals from Ladakh as "dictatorship," Delhi CM Atishi announced in a post on X that she will visit the Bawana police station at 1 PM today to meet with the protesters.
"Sonam Wangchuk and our 150 Ladakhi brothers and sisters were coming to Delhi peacefully. The police have stopped them. They have been imprisoned in Bawana police station since last night. Is it wrong for Ladakh to demand democratic rights? Is it wrong for satyagrahis to go to Gandhi Samadhi on 2 October? Stopping Sonam Wangchuk ji is dictatorship. I will go to Bawana police station to meet him today at 1 pm," Atishi wrote in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also criticized the detention of the protesters from Ladakh.
What is 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra'? Organised by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, the 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra,' is a march to the national capital, demanding statehood, constitutional rights, and other local governance issues for the past four years.
Section 163 of the BNS was imposed on Wangchuk and his supporters after they were detained by Delhi Police late Monday night. During this period, protests and public gatherings will be prohibited, and carrying weapons of any kind is also strictly forbidden, the Delhi Police Commissioner said.
Before being detained Wangchuk took to his social media handle and shared videos from the border where their buses were being stopped. He also shared news of his detention on the social media platform X.
"I AM BEING DETAINED... along with 150 padyatris at Delhi Border, by a police force of hundreds, some say 1,000. Many elderly men & women in their 80s and a few dozen Army veterans... Our fate is unknown. We were on the most peaceful march to Bapu's Samadhi... in the largest democracy in the world, the mother of democracy... Hai Ram!" Wangchuk said.
Why did Delhi police detain them? Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Monday announced that section 163 of the BNS will be enforced in the districts of New Delhi, North and Central, as well as all police stations that share borders with other states until October 5.
Arora said that the step was being taken because of law and order concerns amid expected protests from multiple organisations. Wangchuk and his supporters had intended to spend the night at the border but the police did not permit them to do so due to the prohibitory order under section 163 of BNS.
Wangchuk and his volunteers started the foot march from Leh to New Delhi to pressurise the Centre to resume dialogue with Ladakh's top leaders regarding their demands. One of their primary demands is that Ladakh be added to the Constitution's Sixth Schedule. The march began in Leh on September 1.
What is the Sixth Schedule Of The Indian Constitution? The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution contains provisions related to the Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The Sixth Schedule provides for the administration of certain tribal areas as autonomous entities.
To achieve sustainable development and preserve the nature and culture of the Union Territory (UT), Wangchuk and other Ladakhis are calling for the inclusion of Ladakh in the sixth schedule. Since 97% of people in Ladakh are tribals, they demand a say in the laws that are enacted for the UT.
Read More:
