Social activist Medha Patkar on Tuesday condemned the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters, likening their treatment to that of the farmers during their protests. Calling it a conspiracy, Patkar announced that she would observe a day-long fast on Wednesday in solidarity with Wangchuk and asked for public support.
Environmentalists, climate experts, and social activists gathered for a press conference at the Press Club under the banner of the National Alliance of People's Movements to address Wangchuk's detention. They expressed their support for the demands of the 'Padyatris,' which include granting statehood to Ladakh and securing Sixth Schedule status for the region.
"These activists are being treated like the farmers were. After walking all the way on foot, they expected the Centre to engage in dialogue with them. Instead of talking, a prohibitory order was issued and they were detained in different police stations. This is a conspiracy," Patkar alleged. She added that both the Prime Minister's Office and the Home Ministry were informed in advance about their march.
"A letter was written for October 3 but that was also rejected. The government is afraid of us and is using the police to block us," she said.
The speakers at the conference also criticised the detention of Ladakh political activist Sajjad Kargili who was scheduled to speak at a panel discussion on Ladakh's issues at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) later in the day. They claimed that the police cited Haryana elections and a controversy surrounding the Waqf Board as reasons for detaining the Padyatris, calling these excuses to prevent them from entering the city.
The activists demanded the release of Wangchuk and his supporters and urged the authorities to allow their planned 'Padyatra' to Rajghat. The press conference was also addressed by environmentalist Prafulla Samantara and climate expert Soumya Dutta, among others.
Around 120 people from Ladakh, including Wangchuk, were marching towards the national capital demanding sixth schedule status for the Union Territory when they were detained. Wangchuk is leading the march, 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra,' which began from Leh a month ago.
