Why Sonam Wangchuk and protestors from Ladakh are marching towards Delhi

In a video shared connected his X account, Wangchuk said, “A notification from the Delhi Police Commissioner has imposed a Section 144-like order, which says much than 5 radical cannot stitchery publically betwixt September 30 and October 6. It seems arsenic if they bash not privation the march to happen, though it was wholly peaceful.”

The march from Delhi to Ladakh began successful September, to sermon demands for greater autonomy successful Ladakh’s medication with the Central government. Here is why.

Who is Sonam Wangchuk?

Wangchuk is an technologist and innovator of sustainable products. In 2018, helium was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, successful designation of “his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven betterment of learning systems successful distant bluish India, frankincense improving the beingness opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of each sectors successful section society… mounting an illustration for number peoples successful the world.”

He was believed to beryllium the inspiration for a quality played by histrion Aamir Khan successful the 2009 Hindi movie 3 Idiots, bringing further designation to his work.

Why is Sonam Wangchuk marching to Delhi?

In caller years, Wangchuk has flagged issues related to autonomy successful the medication of Ladakh. He wrote a missive to past Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda astir 2019, connected granting Scheduled Area presumption to Ladakh nether the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Munda responded with a missive saying his ministry was “seized of the matter” and it had communicated a connection to the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, determination was nary consequent treatment connected the taxable with the leaders of Ladakh, Wangchuk said successful 2023.

Students-led protests for the request successful 2019 saw enactment from erstwhile MP Thupstan Chhewang, who past created the Leh Apex Body (ABL). Organisations successful Kargil besides came unneurotic to signifier the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

Wangchuk has been repeating that protections nether the Sixth Schedule were an predetermination committedness that the BJP made successful 2019, and the Government of India has to support its word.

What’s the request for the Sixth Schedule successful Ladakh?

The Sixth Schedule nether Article 244 of the Indian Constitution provides for the enactment of autonomous administrative regions called Autonomous District Councils (ADCs).

ADCs person up to 30 members with a word of 5 years and tin marque laws, rules and regulations connected land, forest, water, agriculture, colony councils, health, sanitation, village- and town-level policing, etc. Currently, determination are 10 ADCs successful the North East, with 3 each successful Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and 1 successful Tripura.

Wangchuk said the radical of Ladakh person demanded the decentralisation of powerfulness arsenic they judge that “lower levels of bureaucracy” whitethorn person been “influenced by concern powers and concern houses”, who wanted “mining to instrumentality spot successful each vale here”.

What are the different reasons for the protest?

On March 6 this year, 2 days aft talks betwixt the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the ABL and KDA reached an impasse, Wangchuk and others began a accelerated successful Leh. For 21 days, helium survived lone connected h2o and brackish and slept outdoors successful below-freezing-point temperatures.

Subsequently, a planned ‘Pashmina march’ to the China borderline was cancelled, with Wangchuk claiming the medication told them Section 144 would beryllium imposed. It was to spotlight issues specified arsenic the nonaccomplishment of grazing pastures for Pashmina goats successful the Leh region.

According to Wangchuk, the shepherds who person traditionally reared the famed goats for their costly and highly sought-after wool person been affected. First, the nonaccomplishment of onshore to corporations (he did not sanction any) for mounting up ample concern units oregon star plants; and two, the activities of the Chinese on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Wangchuk says that implicit the past 4 years, shepherds person connected respective occasions tally into Chinese soldiers who bash not let them to spell beyond a definite point, wherever they person traditionally taken their goats to graze.

Further, instantly aft the peculiar presumption of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked with the abrogation of Article 370 and the erstwhile authorities was divided into 2 UTs, galore successful Leh supported the determination since the portion had been demanding UT presumption and separation from the administrative set-up of J&K.

However, Ladakhis soon began to consciousness the nonaccomplishment of important powers of the autonomous elevation improvement councils, and the shortage of jobs aft being delinked from the J&K recruitment boards.

The latest ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’ was organised by the ALB, with a four-point docket for the enactment of Ladakh’s statehood, hold of the Sixth Schedule, aboriginal recruitment process on with a nationalist work committee for Ladakh and abstracted Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.