Ladakh Director General of Police S D Singh Jamwal on Saturday said climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is being probed for allegedly having links with Pakistan after he was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday, days after protests demanding statehood for the Union Territory resulted in violence.
The police chief accused Wangchuk of being the key person behind Wednesday’s violence that resulted in the killing of four people when police opened fire at youth protesting in support of long-standing demands of statehood for Ladakh and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.
Two days after the violence, which also left more than 80 injured, Leh police detained Wangchuk near his residence under the NSA, 1980, which allows detention for up to 12 months without trial. The Ramon Magsaysay awardee was later moved to Jodhpur Central Jail.
“What has been found in the investigation (against Wangchuk) cannot be disclosed at this moment. The process is going on, and if you look at his profile and history, it is all available on YouTube. His speech worked as an instigation as he talked about the Arab spring and the recent unrest in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka,” the DGP claimed.
“He had his own agenda. There is a probe of foreign funding, violation of FCRA against him… We have a PIO with us who was reporting across the border, sending videos of the protests led by Wangchuk,” he said.
The police chief also cited some of Wangchuk’s foreign visits, and termed them as suspicious.
“He attended an event by The Dawn in Pakistan and also visited Bangladesh,” Jamwal told the media.
Meanwhile, the Ladakh administration has defended its decision to shift the climate activist to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan, claiming that he was “indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State” and that keeping him in Leh was “not advisable in the larger public interest.”
Following Wangchuk’s arrest, authorities suspended mobile internet services in Leh, where curfew remains in place for a fourth straight day.
“There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in Ladakh during the past 24 hours. The restrictions are in place to maintain law and order,” an official said.
The official said the patrolling and checking by police and paramilitary forces in the sensitive areas have been intensified, while raids are also underway to nab the absconding rioters, including a councillor who allegedly instigated the violence.
Defending Wangchuk’s transfer, the Ladakh administration claimed it had “taken a considered decision based on specific inputs” to detain Wangchuk under the NSA and move him to Jodhpur.
It alleged that “time and again it was observed that Sonam Wangchuk has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the State and detrimental to maintenance of peace and public order and services essential to the community.”