Sonam Wangchuk, the leading environmentalist in Ladakh, has claimed that the government of the Union Territory is trying to intimidate him into quitting his long fast in protest against the ecological degradation and unsustainable development of the area. He is currently in a five day fast in the chilly temperatures.
Why is Sonam Wangchuk fasting?
Through his five-day fast, he tries to bring attention to the region’s serious environmental exploitation, Mr. Wangchuk told that the Ladakh government is pressuring him into signing a bond in an effort to stop him from reaching out to the public and spreading his message.
He also posted a document of what he said was the bond that he was required to sign in order to guarantee that he wouldn’t make any statements or take part in public meetings for a month. In a statement, Wangchuk said that, “I am under house arrest. In fact quite worse than that. If you’re under house arrest, you know the rules clearly and you may even explore legal ways to counter it. But right now I am being kept at our institute and my movement is restricted.”
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He is the co-founder of the HIAL, or Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh, where he has been fasting. Mr. Wangchuk intended to fast at Khardung La Pass, where it may get as cold as -40 degrees Celsius. According to him, the administration is attempting to prevent him from travelling to Khardung La Pass.
Sonam Wagchunk demands PM Modi to intervene
Taking to Twitter, Wangchuk wrote, “Calling lawyers of the world. The Ladakh Union Territory administration wants me to sign this bond even when only fasts and prayers are happening. Please advise. How right is it? Should I silence myself? I don’t mind arrest at all.”
What are Sonam Wangchuk’s demands?
Earlier, Wangchuk has said, “Recent studies from Kashmir University and other research organisations have concluded that glaciers in Leh-Ladakh will finish nearly to their two-thirds if they are not properly taken care of. A study by Kashmir University has found that the glaciers surrounded by highways and human activities are melting at a comparatively faster rate.”
In 2018, Mr. Wangchuk was honoured with the Magsaysay Award. The fictitious Phunsukh Wangdu, portrayed by actor Aamir Khan in the 2009 film “3 Idiots,” was inspired by his work. He has said that if no preventive measures are taken, unsustainable industry, tourism, and trade would continue to grow in Ladakh and finally destroy the region.
Furthermore, he has requested that the territory be included in the Constitution’s 6th schedule, which permits the governance of some tribal territories as independent legal entities.
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