Opposition uproar on Wangchuk’s detention

A day after Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters were detained by Delhi Police along the Capital’s northern border, Opposition leaders along with rights organisations on Tuesday extended their support to those apprehended, and demanded their immediate release.
Wangchuk and his supporters were marching to Delhi with a list of demands — including statehood for Ladakh, and the extension of the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule, among other requests — when they were detained near the Singhu border, with police citing prohibitory orders that are in place. They remained under detention at the Bawana police station till late on Tuesday, with his supporters telling HT that they observed a fast throughout the day as a mark of protest to the police apprehending them.
Police officially detained Wangchuk at around 2.30am on Tuesday. According to the law, police can detain a person for only 24 hours, after which they are bound to release the person or make a formal arrest.
However, the Delhi high court refused to urgently hear a plea seeking Wangchuk’s immediate release, setting the date for a hearing on October 3 instead.
One of Wangchuk’s supporters, a 45-year-old climate activist, said 90 people were stopped from entering Delhi and were detained at three different police stations — 40 at Bawana, 30 at Narela, and 20 at Kanjhawala — while around 70 women were put up at a few ashrams.
“I am in touch with Sonam. His phone had been taken away by police. He and all of us are observing fast. We are taking water though,” the 45-year-old said, on condition of anonymity.
The lieutenant governor’s secretariat — all law-and-order matters come under the purview of the LG — did not comment on the developments.
Deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh did not comment on a future course of action.
No immediate court relief
The Delhi high court on Tuesday refused to urgently hear a plea seeking Wangchuk’s immediate release.
A bench comprising chief justice Manmohan and justice Tushar Rao Gedela rejected the request for the hearing, saying that the plea would be taken up on Thursday. Advocate Vikram Hegde, representing petitioner Hazi Mustafa, sought an immediate hearing, but the bench noted,
“We have a full court matter from 2.30pm We’ll have it at the reopening. (On October) 3rd, we’ll do the matter. Have it (the petition) cleared (by the registry) by 3.30pm.”
The matter is now listed before the court on October 3.
The petition, filed by Hazi Mustafa, demanded Wangchuk and others be released, and challenged the Delhi Police imposing prohibitory orders in the Capital. Mustafa’s plea argued that Wangchuk and others’ detention was “arbitrary” and amounted to stifling their fundamental rights guaranteed under article 19 and 21 of the Constitution. It went on to add that the blanket prohibitory order was passed without any reference to any specific threat to public order.
Opposition, activists hit out
Wangchuk’s detention sparked widespread criticism on Tuesday, with Opposition leaders and social activists condemning the police action.
Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the demand for Wangchuk’s release, comparing his detention to the farmers’ protest of 2020-21.
“The detention of Sonam Wangchuk ji and hundreds of Ladakhis peacefully marching for environmental and constitutional rights is unacceptable. Why are elderly citizens being detained at Delhi’s border for standing up for Ladakh’s future? 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 posted on X.
Delhi chief minister Atishi on Tuesday afternoon travelled to the Bawana police station — where Wangchuk has been detained — but was not allowed to meet the activist. Later speaking to the media, she said that the lieutenant governor’s “rule” should end in both Delhi and Ladakh.
“People of Ladakh want full statehood and democratic rights… This is BJP’s dictatorship… LG’s rule should end in Ladakh and similarly, LG’s rule should end in Delhi too,” Atishi said.
Later in the day, Satya Pal Malik — the last governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, of which Ladakh was also a part — also visited the Bawana police station but he too was not allowed to meet the detainees. “The arrogance of BJP has taken away its power to see, listen and understand,” he told the media.
Separately, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal said that everyone has a right to come to Delhi.
“Everyone has the right to come to Delhi. This is completely wrong. Why are they afraid of unarmed peaceful people?” he said.
Social activist Medha Patkar also compared Wangchuk’s detention to the farmers’ protest.
“After walking all the way on foot, they expected the Centre to engage in dialogue with them. Instead of talking, a prohibitory order was issued and they were detained in different police stations. This is a conspiracy,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ladakh MP Haji Hanifa said that everyone is aware of how Ladakh is in talks with the Centre for steps to protect the environmental and constitutional rights of the Union territory.
“All are aware that for the last three years, we have been fighting for our rights peacefully. We even had talks with the government for the same but they stopped after the (Lok Sabha) elections and the formation of the new government,” Hanifa said, adding that the protesters only wanted to hand over a memorandum of their demands to the Centre.