Leh: The hunger strike of Sonam Wangchuk, along with several other Delhi Chalo Padyatra volunteers, entered the 9th day in Delhi. A total of 61 students and supporters were detained on October 13 in Delhi. Sonam Wangchuk wrote, “We were told BNSS 163 (144) prohibitory orders were permanently applied in the entire New Delhi district. This I think is against the spirit of the constitution of India Article 19- Freedom of Speech and Movement.”
The Apex Body also organised a press conference on October 12 requesting the government to resume the talk at the earliest.
Chering Dorje Lakrook in a press conference said, "We request the government to call us soon and resume the talks at the earliest in Delhi as many volunteers are not feeling well due to the extreme heat in Delhi. They have been a part of the month-long padyatra and continuing their fast in Delhi. We are not getting any response from the government. He warned, “If any casualties occur tomorrow, the government will be held responsible."
Besides, a peaceful protest march organised by a religious organisation was also held on October 13 in Leh, where hundreds of people participated, chanting slogans like, “Release the Ladakhi students,” and “Sonam Wangchuk, lead the way, we stand with you. We are demanding our rights, not begging for favours. We want the Sixth Schedule.” Similarly, many villages across Ladakh organised peaceful marches and observed fast in support of the cause.
Talking about the development so far, Jigmet Paljor, a member of Apex Body, said, “There is no development as such either from the elected representatives or from the MHA. We are still on a hunger strike, which entered the 9th day. A total of 61 students and supporters were detained on October 13 around 11 am and were released by 6 pm. The movement of the people has been restricted now.”
Regarding the ongoing development, MP Haji Hanifa stated, "I am in discussions with senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). My goal is to ensure that talks with the high-powered committee resume as soon as possible, and I expect a fixed date for these talks to be announced soon. The MHA has informed me that they are actively working on restarting the dialogue. I have made some suggestions, and I am hopeful that there will be progress by tomorrow. I also trust that the MHA, particularly the Home Minister, will soon fulfil the assurances made to us. Additionally, all the volunteers walked over 900 kilometres from Leh to Delhi and are now experiencing health issues. If anything happens to them, it will be a serious concern."
Ashraf Ali Barcha, Present Anjuman Imamia Leh said, “Our demand is genuine constitutionally as well as legally and it fits everywhere. If these demands are not fulfilled then in future the same Ladakh will not remain as it is today Ladakh and there will be a huge difference between the two. Earlier, we used to have a lot of employment opportunities be it civil or defence. Now, we have a huge issue of employment in Ladakh. We are a small ethnic group and we need to preserve this. If we do not have legislative power and people do not have some rights then there is no use of such UT. The development in Ladakh should be sustainable and it is, too, early to set up industries looking at the climatic conditions. Democracy was there while we were with the erstwhile J&K, but today we do not have neither safeguard nor democracy. If we are asking for a legislature, then there’s a logic to it.”
Furthermore, he says, “Now, we are at a juncture where everything seems dark and we do not see any light. We have been demanding it democratically and peacefully. Earlier, a high power committee was set up regarding the four-point agenda and for our demands, but the talks were never meaningful. The government has always set their terms contrary to our demands. Also, their views and promises were never in black and white in documents and it was just verbal. At least there should be a blueprint to it. We have also submitted a draft.”
Talking about the hope, he said, “Without safeguard, Ladakh has no way forward. To fulfil our demands is up to the will of the government, it can happen today and tomorrow also. If the government responds swiftly, it’s not just in Ladakh's interest, but in the national interest as well. The government should strengthen the people in the border areas where we are surrounded by two hostile countries. We hope that soon the government will consider our demands. Even if they provide us with a legislature or the necessary safeguards, there wouldn’t be much financial burden on them. We already have the infrastructure in place with our Hill Councils. I simply don’t understand why there’s such a delay. Moreover, they haven’t communicated their position to us."
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