Congress Condemns 'Unjust' Arrest of Ladakh Hero Wangchuk

The Congress party has fiercely condemned the arrest of renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, labeling it "unwarranted" and accusing the Ladakh administration of gross mishandling that has inflamed tensions in the region. Speaking to reporters in Anantnag, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir portrayed Wangchuk as a beacon of Gandhian principles, wholly devoted to Ladakh's welfare without a hint of violence in his advocacy.

Mir didn't mince words on the administration's role, insisting the arrest was an unnecessary escalation against one of the area's most revered figures. "His arrest is unwarranted. There was no need to take this step; he is the most respectable person," Mir emphasized, pointing fingers at the NDA government's flip-flops. He revealed how the same regime had greenlit foreign funding for Wangchuk's initiatives, only to yank it back now—framing it as a reversal from a supposed prior administration's decision—to mask their own administrative blunders.

The controversy ties into broader Ladakhi demands for political autonomy, including full Union Territory status with an elected assembly and safeguards under the Constitution's Sixth Schedule. Mir underscored the community's peaceful ethos: "The people of Ladakh have always been peace-loving; they have never supported violence." He dismissed BJP attempts to pin recent unrest on Congress, noting that an accused councillor has vehemently denied involvement, backed by the tragic loss of two close relatives in the violence—evidence the BJP is allegedly ignoring to deflect from its failures.

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As Ladakh's aspirations simmer amid these arrests, Congress urges accountability, warning that such heavy-handed tactics only deepen distrust in the fragile Himalayan enclave.

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