A well-known environmental activist involved in a protest movement in India’s Ladakh region has been detained as part of a broader suppression of opposition under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer, campaigner, and innovator, has led an extended protest against the government, advocating for statehood and stronger safeguards for Ladakh. He was taken into custody on Friday while en route to speak at a press briefing.
His arrest followed clashes during protests in Leh, the regional capital, on Wednesday, where demonstrators set fire to several buildings, including offices of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Authorities responded by firing live rounds, resulting in the deaths of at least four protesters demanding autonomy and statehood for Ladakh.
Ladakh—located in the Himalayas near disputed borders with China and Pakistan—has been directly administered by the central government since 2019.
Previously part of Jammu and Kashmir, the region was stripped of its statehood and placed under federal control by Modi’s administration, sparking widespread discontent among locals.
The home ministry accused Wangchuk, who had been fasting for 15 days, of encouraging unrest through what it called "inflammatory remarks," citing references to the Arab Spring and recent anti-graft protests in Nepal.
Wangchuk denied the claims, stating he opposes violence. He argued that authorities were fabricating charges to imprison him for an extended period.
"Sonam Wangchuk behind bars might create more trouble for them than if I were free," he said before his arrest.
Wangchuk gained recognition for his efforts to promote education and environmental conservation in Ladakh.
He founded an acclaimed school as part of a wider movement for student welfare and cultural preservation in the region and developed the ice stupa—an artificial glacier used worldwide to store water. His life also inspired the popular Bollywood film *Three Idiots*.
However, after Modi’s government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and as border tensions with China led to large-scale military deployment and infrastructure projects in Ladakh—damaging the environment—Wangchuk began campaigning for regional autonomy.
He has organized multiple protests and hunger strikes, including a 500-mile march last year from Leh to New Delhi, urging officials to address Ladakh’s statehood demands.
Wangchuk said he faced harassment for challenging the BJP-led government, which has frequently detained activists, environmental campaigners, and government critics under strict laws during its tenure.
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