Sonam Wangchuk Arrested Under Stringent NSA, Taken To Jodhpur: Sources

Ladakh statehood activist Sonam Wangchuk, who faces allegations of inciting a mob with provocative statements, has been arrested a day after he said he would be "happy to be arrested anytime for this cause". He has been charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), government sources said, which provides for long preventive detention without any scope for bail. 

Sources said Wangchuk was shifted to Jodhpur in Rajasthan and the government also snapped internet services in Leh following the activist's arrest to prevent the spread of misinformation.

The arrest comes a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the registration of Mr Wangchuk's non-profit 'Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh' (SECMOL) to receive funds from abroad under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act or FCRA, 2010.

The activist from the mountainous region who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 has denied all the allegations made by the Centre and the Union Territory's administration, following the violence two days ago that left four dead and over 50 including security personnel injured.

He told NDTV on Thursday that his non-profit did not take foreign contributions, but has done business transactions with the UN, Swiss and Italian organisations and paid all taxes.

"... They mistook it as foreign contributions. I consider it a mistake on their [Centre's] part and therefore I don't mind it. But that's what was thought of as a foreign contribution. It is not," he told NDTV's Padmaja Joshi on Thursday.

Ladakh's gradual swing from cheering on becoming a Union Territory in 2019 after the Centre scrapped special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution, to the current tension due to demand for statehood, has led to speculation that foreign hands and local vested interests could be involved in engineering the crisis.

However, discontentment has been brewing for the last few years over a perceived political vacuum under the Lieutenant Governor. This factor led to the coming together of political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil under joint platforms to raise their demands.

The Centre said Mr Wangchuk did not call off his fast despite knowing that the government has been actively engaged with Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on the same issues.

"The process of dialogue through this mechanism has yielded phenomenal results... However, certain politically motivated individuals who were not happy with the progress made under the high-powered committee have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process," the MHA said in a statement on Wednesday, the day violence broke out while Mr Wangchuk was on hunger strike.

The MHA said it was clear the mob was incited by Mr 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 MHA said.

Apart from statehood, Mr Wangchuk is also seeking Ladakh to be placed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for administration of tribal areas through an autonomous governance structure.

In an interview to NDTV on Thursday, Mr Wangchuk had said he would be "happy to be arrested anytime if it is for this cause."

He also added what seemed like a warning: "I'm preparing for that [arrest]. I am looking forward to it. I don't want to be in any confusion... But I want to tell you Sonam Wangchuk in jail will be equally, if not more problematic as Sonam Wangchuk outside participating in dialogues and discussions... because it will awaken people more about how this country is being run."

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the arrest unfortunate and criticised the central government.

"It is unfortunate they have arrested him. BJP will never fulfil their promises. We are not justifying violence. Who am I to justify violence, but BJP should answer why they let such a situation develop," Mr Abdullah told news agency ANI.

Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said arresting Mr Wangchuk was wrong.

"He never encouraged violence. The BJP government is hiding its failure after it could not handle the issues of Ladakh," he said.