Engineer, education reformer, innovator and climate activist from Ladakh, Sonam Wangchuk is on the 19th day of his ‘fast unto death’ in Leh where the temperature is hovering around -10˚Celcius. For those who have not heard of Sonam Wangchuk before, he is the inspiration behind actor Aamir Khan’s character ‘Phunsukh Wangdu’ in the Bollywood film ‘3 Idiots’.
This son of Ladakh and others are holding 21 days (extendable till death) fasting on just water and salt, demanding that the Government of India grant the Union Territory the 6th Schedule which gives autonomy and administration to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram that safeguards the rights of the indigenous people. “There is no need to invent another Article, this 6th schedule is exactly what we need,” Wangchuk said in one of his speeches.
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97% of Ladakh’s population is indigenous tribals and its location is very fragile and strategic as its mountains hold hundreds of glaciers that carries water to North India through the Indus River and also holds India’s boundary with China.
The agitation, which is spearheaded by Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, is not simply about being able to have their own representatives. Granting them their right to democracy would also protect and preserve the indigenous people, their culture and the place’s very unique ecosystem.
Sleeping outdoor, exposed to the harsh weather condition in sub-zero temperature, Wangchuk has repeatedly expressed his utter disappointment at the BJP Government in the country for failing to keep its promise to the people of Ladakh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and again in 2020 Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh Election, BJP had assured 6th Schedule for the Union Territory in its manifestoes.
He explains that reason behind the Government backtracking on its assurances is because of pressure from industrial lobbyist, mining bodies and business sharks “to keep Ladakh open, open to all their exploitations” which can be very dangerous for such a fragile region.
“Our current concept of growth and development is so anthropocentric, so human obsessed that we have decimated all living beings, all non-living beings that share this planet with us,” Sonam Wangchuk reiterated on Day 19 of the 21 days fast unto death agitation. He also proposed introducing ‘Nature’ representatives in the Parliament to speak for nature itself and take the idea of inclusivity to the next level.
Further, the activist also highlighted on Day 14 that nomads of Ladakh are losing their lands to industrialists on one side and to the Chinese encroachers on the other side, forcing them to sell their pashmina goats and work as labourers in the cities. Wangchuk maintained that a huge area of land has been taken by China which the Indian government has denied.
He had earlier pointed out that India’s position in the border with China was in a very fragile state. He apprised that there are three armed forces – the Ladakh Scouts, the Sikh Regiment and the Gorkha Rifles – who presently distracted by policies of the government. He stated that the Ladakh Scouts are upset about GoI’s false promises, the Sikhs are disturbed by the ongoing farmers’ protest and the Gorkhas are contemplating to join China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) because of the Agniveer scheme.
Sonam Wangchuk, the people of Ladakh and supporters are planning a massive march to the border of China to assess and show the rest of India how much China has encroached into the country’s territory.
