Delhi police release Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk after two day custody

Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was detained by the Delhi Police, has been released from Bawana Police Station on Wednesday. A team of Delhi Police escorted him to Rajghat where he is expected to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhu Jayanti.

Wangchuk, along with around 120 others from Ladakh, was detained on Monday night, September 30, 2024, at the Delhi-Haryana border.

Wangchuk and his supporters were detained while marching from Leh to Delhi to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. The march, which began on September 1, was set to culminate at Rajghat on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.

 

Earlier, Ladakh's Member of Parliament, Mohmad Haneefa, was released by the Delhi police, the MP confirmed.

Haneefa was detained by Delhi police on Tuesday, a day after more than hundred protesters from Ladakh, including Sonam Wangchuk, were held at the Delhi-Haryana border.

On October 1, The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Apex Body, Leh had called for a bandh across Ladakh following the detention of renowned activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday night.Shops in Ladakh were observed closed as residents demanded Wangchuk's release and advocate for the sixth schedule to safeguard the region's rights.

Wangchuk and other volunteers had embarked on a foot march from Leh to New Delhi to urge the Centre to resume dialogue with Ladakh's leadership regarding their demands.

One of their key demands is for Ladakh to be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, granting law-making powers to the local population to protect their land and cultural identity.

The march was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) in coordination with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), both of which have been leading an agitation for the past four years.