The Leh unit of the Congress party has strongly declared that renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has emerged as the most prominent and vocal figure in the Ladakh agitation. They assert that no amount of defamation or fabricated accusations against him will be accepted by the local populace.
The party further stated that the government is gravely mistaken if it believes that arresting Mr. Wangchuk will bring back peace and harmony to the region.
Mr. Wangchuk was taken into custody under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday, September 26, 2025, and is currently held in Jodhpur jail, Rajasthan. This detention occurred just two days after protests demanding statehood and the extension of Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh escalated into widespread violence.
These clashes tragically resulted in the deaths of four protesters and left 90 others injured.
The Congress party expressed strong condemnation, calling the arrest of the celebrated activist “unwarranted.” They argued, “His only ‘fault’ was holding the BJP accountable for its election promise to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.”
Nawang Rigzin Jora, president of the Ladakh Congress, highlighted Mr. Wangchuk’s crucial role in articulating the demands of the Leh Apex Body-Kargil Democratic Alliance. These demands include granting statehood, creating separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil, and increasing government job opportunities, especially given Ladakh’s second-highest graduate unemployment rate according to Indian government statistics.
Mr. Wangchuk, emulating Mahatma Gandhi, has consistently engaged in peaceful ‘satyagrahs‘, ‘anshans‘ (fasts), and ‘padyatras‘ (marches) over the past five years. This dedication has made him the most visible and outspoken champion of the Ladakh agitation, inadvertently making him a target for the central government.
The statement lamented, “It is regrettable that the government deployed every possible harassment tactic against him and his institutions, HIAL and SECMOL, including investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and CBI.” Despite these pressures, he remained steadfast. Instead, he undertook a 35-day fast alongside his supporters under the banner of LAB.
The Congress clarified that Mr. Wangchuk ended his fast on September 24 after youth mobilized by the LAB youth wing and various religious organizations protested against the administration’s perceived “high-handedness and brutalities.” This led to the tragic loss of four lives and dozens of severe injuries.
The statement concluded, “This serious misjudgment led to Mr. Wangchuk and non-BJP parties, especially the Congress, being unfairly blamed. The government is profoundly mistaken if it believes his arrest will restore peace and stability. No amount of smear campaigns or trumped-up charges will be believed by the people of Ladakh.”