Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk Cancels March To Border, Says...

Activist Sonam Wangchuk has called off his proposed border march tomorrow after the Ladakh administration decided to disallow the march by imposing restrictions under Section 144 and put curbs on internet in the region.

Mr Wangchuk had called for a march to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Chungathung border area to show how much land China has grabbed since 2020.

The activist, fighting for statehood and 6th Schedule for the Ladakh Union Territory, said he fears the government's "overreaction" may lead to clashes and riots.

"There may be attempts to upset this peaceful agitation and then blame it for violence and make it an excuse to disallow the peaceful protests in Ladakh," said Mr Wangchuk.

He said the agitation in Ladakh has created awareness among people across the country, and the government fears that the border march may impact elections and their vote bank. "So they decided to stop me from marching to the border even at the cost disturbing peace," he said.

Mr Wangchuk terms the government's control measures as "madness". "We are concerned about its impact on national security and peace in the region and, therefore, we have decided to withdraw the march," said Mr Wangchuk.

Earlier, Mr Wangchuk had said any attempt by the government to stop the march will be a clear indication that the government wants to hide how much land China has grabbed in Ladakh.

"Our objective is already achieved, which was to make the country aware about what's happening in Ladakh and its pastures, what's happened with Indian land on the border," said Mr Wangchuk.