Sonam Wangchuk is Fighting for the Identity of Ladakh

By Vikas Parasram Meshram

The geniuses who sat on hunger strike in the atmosphere of snowy clouds  Engineer ‘ Sonam Wangchuk’s recently viral photos are surprising people. But the irony is that as much fame as Aamir Khan got due to his character in a film, the response in the country was the same.  The fact that the hunger strike did not work is a sign of the insensitivity of the society, and Wangchuk, who struggled to save the environment and the identity of Ladakh, got the full support of the local people. 

Politics has heated up in Ladakh once again. The Ladakh administration has restricted the movement of Sonam Wangchuk. Sonam Wangchuk laments the current situation and says that we were better in Kashmir than today’s Ladakh, but hopes that tomorrow’s Ladakh will be golden. She also urged people to change their lifestyles to fight climate change. Not only this, he alleged that Ladakh has become a dark city. Sonam expressed fear that the people of Leh-Ladakh may take the path of terrorism in the future due to the current situation. The 2009 Bollywood film ‘ Three Idiots ‘ based on Sonam Wangchuk became very popular.

They want the Prime Minister himself to call the leaders of Ladakh for an urgent meeting to discuss their demands to protect land , environment , culture and employment for the region. Seeing that, Sonam has been put under house arrest and now Sonam had no other means to raise her voice except social media , that’s why Sonam shared a video on Instagram to express her grief.

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Another video of Sonam Wangchuk has gone viral. Sonam, who works for social reform in Ladakh, has made serious allegations against the Lt. Governor of Ladakh. He claims that he was put under house arrest for raising his voice against the administration. In the video, he is alleging that only LGs are acting arbitrarily in Ladakh and no work is being done for the last three years. Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 there have been protests in Ladakh demanding protection of land, resources and employment. Loud people  Demands inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. Sonam also has the same demand. 

People walked fast with them through the snow in inclement weather. After 21 days he said that though his hunger strike is over, the agitation is not over yet. In fact, due to the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, the special status given to Ladakhi as a tribal area.  Being destroyed has surrounded them with many fears. The people of Ladakh are not happy about getting Union Territory status. Sonam Wangchuk and the local people to implement the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to grant full statehood to Ladakh and preserve the identity of Ladakh.  There is a demand.

Sonam Wangchuk had started a hunger strike from March 6, 2024 after talks with the central government failed. Supporting them even in sub-zero temperatures  The crowd of supporters did not decrease. Even before this, of the sixth schedule there were large demonstrations in the bitter cold to demand enforcement. In which the participation of thousands of people raised their hopes and aspirations.

Later, the apex body Leh i.e. ABL and Kargil Democratic Alliance i.e. KDA called for bandh and protests. Actually , there are social, religious and political organizations active in Ladakh. The four major demands of these organizations include the implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, full statehood to the union territory , expansion of one parliamentary seat and establishment of the Ladakh Public Service Commission to provide more government jobs to the people of the region. 

In fact , in its 2019 manifesto, the BJP had promised to grant full statehood to Ladakh and include the region in the Sixth Schedule. But in the last five years, this promise could not materialize. In the background of the agitation, after the process of discussion with the central government started, a high-level committee was also formed on February 19, under which several rounds of discussion were going on till February 23. After the talks on March 4 yielded nothing, Sonam Wangchuk went on a hunger strike on March 6 to demand Ladakhis. Sonam named the weather fast to protect the interests of Ladakh, which has been affected by global warming . Thousands of people sat in the snow to support him.

In fact , like other tribal areas of the country, the people of Ladakh fear that the environment will be tampered with in the name of development after becoming a union territory. However , the income of people in hilly areas is limited. In such a situation outsiders can easily dominate the natural resources with the power of money. Fighters are worried that the increase in tourism will threaten their centuries-old culture. The people of Ladakh are alarmed by the indiscriminate exploitation of mining and forest resources by the mafia in Uttarakhand and other hill states.

Unemployment is a major problem in this union territory like the states of other countries. Before becoming a union territory, people of Ladakh used to apply for gazetted posts through the Jammu and Kashmir Service Commission. But after the creation of independent Union Territories, this facility ended. Now these appointments are made through the Central Staff Selection Commission. In whose competition the youth of Ladakhi feel inferior. Locals are demanding that a recruitment campaign should be conducted for non-gazetted posts.

In such a situation, employment has become a major issue along with the demand to form its own assembly for the region and the Sixth Schedule. Actually Sonam Wangchuk yours.  The people of Ladakh have been given voice through hunger strike.

In fact, under Article 244 of the Constitution , the Sixth Schedule provides for the creation of autonomous Zilla Parishads in administration. Under which the District Councils have thirty members, four of whom are nominated by the Governor. The Council has some administrative , legislative and judicial independence. Only Zilla Parishad gives permission to set up industries in this area. So that it can provide a protective cover to mountain cultures and resources. People believe that its implementation will protect the culture of the local people .

Sonam Wangchuk expressed concern that if the interests of Ladakhis are not protected, the hotel culture will take over the region and the influx of millions of people will threaten our cultural heritage preserved for centuries. He cited , for example, the administration of tribal areas in Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Assam. At the same time , government representatives argue that full statehood can be granted only when the region has sufficient financial resources. However, people like Wangchuk are particularly concerned about the dangers of flooding due to climate change, such as reduced snowfall and melting glaciers. This is having an adverse effect on the agriculture and people’s life in the area. So Wangchook is fighting 

About the Author

Vikas Parasram Meshram is a social worker and activities working towards the rights of tribal and marginalized communities.

Views are personal.

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