Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has claimed that he is under house arrest in Leh, the headquarters of Ladakh, as protests against the scheduled winter elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils gather pace. Wangchuk said dozens of armed guards surrounded his residence. Authorities have said that he was only advised to stay home, and the administration has not accepted that any formal arrest has taken place.
Wangchuk made the claim on X and in a video posted on the platform. He also said that his reach on social media had been suppressed, a charge that has not been independently verified. The status of the restriction on his movement remains disputed, with his account and the official position standing in direct contradiction to each other.
At the centre of the dispute are the polls for eight LAHDCs, which the administration has notified for December 4. Wangchuk and regional leaders oppose the December council polls and want the elections postponed. Their opposition rests partly on the climate, with critics pointing out that extreme cold is forcing students and others to leave the region, which would make a December vote difficult for many residents to take part in. Critics also argue that the government is rushing the elections in order to sidestep the findings of a judicial inquiry.
That inquiry report concerns last year's firing in Leh, and the protesters have demanded its release. The timing of its publication has not been made clear by the administration. The demand for the report and the demand for postponement of the polls have become intertwined in the protest movement, with the report seen by opponents as the reason the schedule is being hurried.
Protest activity has been marked by police intervention. A planned dharna was blocked by police the previous evening, while peaceful dharnas were held the day before. The protests were said to continue the following day. Wangchuk has said that the entire Ladakh region is protesting, a claim that frames the agitation as a regional rather than a local movement.
Several questions remain open. It is unknown whether the administration will change the election schedule in response to the protests. The formal or informal nature of the restriction on Wangchuk is still in dispute, and no date has been fixed for the release of the inquiry report. Whether the protests will escalate or subside in the coming days will depend on how these matters are resolved.
Source: punjabnewsexpress.com
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