Digvijaya Singh Condemns Sedition Case Against Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk

Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh condemned the sedition case filed against climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, describing it as "highly objectionable" following his arrest in connection with violent protests in Ladakh. The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister voiced strong support for Wangchuk, stating that the entire Congress Party stands with him. Singh's remarks, shared in a Hindi post on X, come amid escalating tensions in the Union Territory, where demands for greater autonomy have fuelled widespread demonstrations.

The unrest erupted on September 24 during a shutdown organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), a key group advocating for Ladakh's statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule protections to safeguard the region's tribal communities and environment.

The protests, which included marches and rallies in Leh, turned violent, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to over 80 people, including 40 police personnel. Authorities have attributed the clashes to stone-pelting and confrontations between demonstrators and security forces, prompting a crackdown that has drawn criticism for its severity.

Sonam Wangchuk, a renowned engineer-activist known for his environmental campaigns and the ice stupa project to combat water scarcity in the Himalayas, was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26. He is currently held in a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, far from Ladakh, a move that has sparked accusations of heavy-handed tactics by the central government.

Wangchuk's supporters, including the LAB, argue that the charges under sedition laws—reinvigorated despite a 2022 Supreme Court stay—are politically motivated to silence legitimate grievances over Ladakh's administrative status post its bifurcation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

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Singh's condemnation highlights deepening political divides, with opposition parties questioning the use of draconian measures against peaceful activists. The incident has reignited debates on constitutional protections for Ladakh's Buddhist-majority population, who fear cultural and ecological erosion without Sixth Schedule safeguards.

As investigations continue, calls for dialogue between the LAB and the Centre grow louder, with civil society urging de-escalation to address the root causes of the unrest in this strategically vital border region.

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