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| Sonam Wangchuk arrested after Leh violence | | |  Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 26: A day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration of the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), Ladakh Police on Friday arrested climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on charges of inciting violence in Leh on Wednesday.
Four people were killed and over 80 others injured during violent protests in Leh town and adjoining areas, following a bandh call by several youth organizations.
Although senior officers have largely remained silent on the developments, reports said a team of Ladakh Police, led by Director General of Police (DGP) S. D. Singh, took Wangchuk into custody after formally registering a case against him for allegedly inciting people during a protest demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.
Following Wednesday’s violence, the MHA directly blamed Wangchuk for the unprecedented unrest. “It is clear that the mob was incited by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements. Incidentally, amidst these violent developments, he broke his fast and left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation,” the Ministry stated in an official handout.
The Ministry noted that Wangchuk had launched a hunger strike on September 10, 2025, demanding statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. “It is well known that the Government of India has been actively engaged with the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance on the same issues. A series of meetings were held with them through the formal channel of the High-Powered Committee as well as the Sub-committee, along with multiple informal interactions with leaders,” the statement added.
In an apparent reference to Wangchuk, the government said certain politically motivated individuals were unhappy with the progress made under the High-Powered Committee (HPC) and had attempted to sabotage the dialogue process.
“The demands on which Wangchuk was on hunger strike are an integral part of the HPC discussions. Despite many leaders urging him to call off the hunger strike, he continued and misled people through provocative mentions of Arab Spring-style protests and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal,” the handout read.
It further added: “On September 24, around 11:30 a.m., a mob instigated by his speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEC) in Leh. They set these offices on fire, attacked security personnel, and torched a police vehicle.”
On Thursday, the MHA cancelled SECMOL’s FCRA registration, citing repeated violations of the Act. According to the order, the NGO was found guilty of multiple financial irregularities, including irregular deposits and misuse of foreign funds.
The association allegedly recorded Rs 3.35 lakh as foreign donations without reflecting the amount in its designated FCRA account and wrongly deposited Rs 54,600 from local sources into the same account. The Ministry also noted that funds were received from foreign donors for activities linked to sovereignty issues, terming it “against national interest.”
The order further stated that SECMOL refunded Rs 19,600 to a donor in violation of FCRA provisions and failed to properly account for Rs 79,200 deducted from staff salaries.
“These repeated violations constitute a serious breach of the Act,” the MHA concluded, announcing immediate cancellation of the organisation’s licence. The decision bars SECMOL from receiving or utilising any foreign contributions henceforth. |
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