LAB legal advisor terms Wangchuk’s arrest 'unwise decision', says can complicate situation

Leh, Sept 26 (PTI) Reacting to the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, Leh Apex Body (LAB)'s legal advisor Haji Ghulam Mustafa on Friday said the step is going to complicate the situation rather than bring normalcy to the Union territory, as he is a world-acclaimed figure who strongly believes in non-violence.

He said the arrest of one person cannot stop the movement for their four-point agenda, including Statehood and inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, but has the potential to create a hurdle in the ongoing talks between the Ladakh representatives and the central government.

“We have also heard about the arrest of Wangchuk, which is a very unfortunate and unwise decision on the part of the government…I do not see his role in the Wednesday’s unrest that claimed the lives of four protesters and left 90 others injured,” Mustafa told PTI.

He said the arrest of Wangchuk on baseless allegations can hurt the people of Ladakh emotionally, and “the arrest cannot be termed as a wise decision”.

“He is an internationally acclaimed figure known for his social activism and work in the field of education and climate. If you are someone of his stature, what is the message you are conveying to the people that you can arrest anyone,” said Mustafa, who is also the legal advisor of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

LAB and KDA have been jointly spearheading the protests for the last four years in support of their demands.

Mustafa alleged that Wangchuk's arrest could be a ploy to derail the talks focusing on their demands.

Mohd Ramzan, vice president of Anjuman-e-Moinul Islam, which is also a constituent of LAB, said the arrest followed a systematic campaign by right-wing activists and a particular section of the media to defame him as part of witch-hunting.

“He is the son of the soil, our hero, a leader who follows the Gandhian way of life and strongly believes in the constitution of India. He was peacefully leading the agitation with hunger strikes and also conducted a foot march from Leh to Delhi. We all follow him,” Ramzan said, accusing the Centre of experimenting with policies employed elsewhere in Ladakh to browbeat the leadership.

“Such steps will only complicate the situation rather than bring normalcy to the region,” he said.

Earlier in the day, LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay also strongly defended Wangchuk and said the series of actions against him in the recent past raised many questions.

“Wangchuk was running his institute for a very long time, but what prompted the government to take action against him at this moment, when he is part of the people’s agitation for their rights. Doesn’t the government know about these things earlier?” he told reporters, responding to questions about the Centre revoking the FCRA license of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, founded by Wangchuk and the cancellation of land lease to his HAIL institute. PTI TAS TAS AMJ AMJ