Leh, Sept 26: Environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk from Ladakh has alleged that the Union Territory administration of Ladakh is targeting him with threats of legal and investigative action ahead of the upcoming Hill Council elections in October.
Wangchuk claimed that after his agitation, the authorities served notices to reclaim land on which his alternative learning campus, the Hial Alternative University, is built and hinted at a possible Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into his activities.
“It will not be surprising if tomorrow they will send ED to investigate me. Is India becoming a banana republic?” Wangchuk asked. Wangchuk told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the UT administration has threatened demolition of the campus, which has been developed over five years.
Explaining the timing of the action, Wangchuk said that in the 2020 Hill Council elections, the BJP had promised to secure Sixth Schedule constitutional safeguards for Ladakh but had failed to deliver. He alleged that the present measures were a form of intimidation to silence voices demanding that the promise be fulfilled.
He said he has already faced threats of arrest, FIRs, and cancellation of the land lease for the campus. “I, with the people of Ladakh, am not going to let them win this election without fulfilling that promise,” Wangchuk asserted, adding that he would welcome an ED investigation.
The election for Hill Council is scheduled in October this year.
The activist claimed that such an inquiry would reveal his voluntary work and financial contributions over the last eight years. “I have been working without a penny for salary, and I have contributed almost a crore of rupees each year,” he said. Wangchuk added that while Ladakh is exempt from taxes, he continues to pay income tax “because it serves the nation.”
He further alleged that some in the UT administration have been misusing public funds, while he himself had donated five lakh rupees to the UT government when it was formed. “I have been working for the people of Ladakh and any investigation against me is always welcome, but. I am sure truth will prevail,” he stated.
The remarks by Wangchuk come at a time when demands for constitutional safeguards, including inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, have gained momentum in Ladakh. [KNT]
