Planning border march to highlight ground reality in Ladakh: Sonam Wangchuk

Leh: On hunger strike for the past two weeks in support of statehood and constitutional safeguards under sixth schedule for the Union Territory of Ladakh, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday said they are planning a border march soon to highlight the "ground reality" to the outside world. Wangchuk, a renowned education reformist, has been on ‘climate fast’ here since March 6, a day after talks between the joint representatives of Leh-based Apex body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) heading an agitation in support of four-point demands and the Central government hit a deadlock.

Approximately 10,000 individuals from Ladakh are set to march towards the China border under the leadership of climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk. Wangchuk, who has been protesting in Leh's sub-zero temperatures for the past 14 days, sustaining himself solely on salt and water, is advocating for constitutional protections for the Union Territory.

On the beginning of day 14 of his ‘climate fast’, Wangchuk took to X and said that 250 people slept hungry in minus 12 degrees Celsius to safeguard Ladakh's land, environment and tribal indigenous culture.

“Our nomads are losing prime pasture land to huge Indian industrial plants to the south & Chinese encroachment to the north. To show the ground reality we're planning a Border March of 10,000 Ladakhi shepherds & farmers soon,” he announced.

The KDA has called half-day general strike and a rally in Kargil town on March 20 as part of the ongoing agitation.

Who is Sonam Wangchuk and why is he on a climate fast?

Sonam Wangchuk is a prominent figure known for his activism in Ladakh. He embarked on a 'climate fast' to draw attention to the environmental and territorial concerns facing the region. The march he organized aims to highlight the loss of land to China, particularly in areas such as the Finger area and Demchok along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Additionally, he protests against the conversion of prime pasture lands into solar parks, which threatens the traditional livelihoods of nomads. Wangchuk's protest also reflects the broader dissatisfaction among locals regarding the failure of talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding constitutional safeguards and statehood for Ladakh.

Sonam Wangchuk expressed his motivation for the march, stating "We know from the shepherds that they are not allowed [anymore] to go to the places that they always used to go. In particular areas, they are stopped kilometres before where they used to go earlier. We will go and show whether land has been lost or not."

Regarding the purpose of the march, he emphasized "The march will also highlight the areas, prime pasture lands, that are being turned into solar parks. On one hand, nomads are losing their land to corporates who are coming to set up their plants, maybe mining in future. Nomads will lose 150,000 sq km of prime pasture land, on the other hand they are losing pasture land to China which is encroaching from the north, the Chinese have captured huge chunks of land in the last few years."

"People are disillusioned, disenchanted and angry. There is no chance BJP will win a seat here in the upcoming elections. But this is not only for Ladakh, am trying to awaken the nation, if this is how election promises are honoured, then elections are a joke. Why did we vote this party to power twice?" he concluded.

Inputs from PTI