Denied permission to protest at Jantar Mantar, Wangchuk sits on fast at Ladakh Bhavan

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday sat on a fast at the Ladakh Bhavan where he was staying, after the protesters were denied permission to stage the stir for Ladakh’s Sixth Schedule status at Jantar Mantar.

Wangchuk, in a brief interaction with media before starting the fast, said they were forced to stage the protest at the Ladakh Bhavan after failing to find any venue for their stir.

Around 18 people, including Wangchuk, sat close to the gate of the Ladakh Bhavan, singing the Hindi version of ‘We Shall Overcome’, and raised slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, “Jai Ladakh” and “Save Ladakh, Save Himalaya”.

On Sunday morning, Wangchuk took to ‘X’ to say that they have been denied permission to sit on a fast at Jantar Mantar.

“Another rejection, another frustration. Finally this morning we got this rejection letter for the officially designated place for protests,” Wangchuk said.

The climate activist led the ‘Delhi Chalo Padayatra’, which began in Leh a month ago. The march was organised by Leh Apex Body, which along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance, has been spearheading an agitation for the last four years seeking statehood for Ladakh, its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.

On Saturday, a majority of the protesters returned to Ladakh while the remaining stayed back to join Wangchuk for the fast.