‘Amit Shah must resign’: Sonam Wangchuk on Ladakh violence, one year on

One year after a violent police crackdown that killed four civilians in Ladakh, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk called for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of "massacring" the people of the region. Speaking after a 20-kilometer march to commemorate the deaths, Wangchuk blamed the BJP for failing to deliver on their promise to provide protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

He lamented that despite two years and 15 rounds of talks with the Centre, Amit Shah stated that Ladakh would not receive the promised protections. Wangchuk emphasized that the true cause of the agitation lies in the Centre's betrayal of its assurances, stating that if they had kept their word, the protests would not have continued for so long.

The four deaths and 44 injuries occurred when police opened fire on a peaceful protest demanding statehood and the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. Wangchuk, who was previously detained under the National Security Act for six months, highlighted that the people of Ladakh do not lack courage and that justice is a responsibility of the entire country.

Recently, the Centre proposed a constitutional provision, Article 371(K), to extend additional protections to Ladakh during a sub-committee meeting with the MHA, and the criminal cases against 20 of the 87 people booked in the violence have been withdrawn by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.