Activist Sonam Wangchuk issues ultimatum over detained protestors, vows to launch fast or march
Wangchuk did not attend Saturday’s protest, saying earlier that he had important work to attend to in Ladakh.
PTC News Desk: Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was a prominent face of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) first protest in July that led to the education minister’s resignation, has now expressed support for the youth movement following its October 10 demonstration. Wangchuk did not attend Saturday’s protest, saying earlier that he had important work to attend to in Ladakh.
"India in a state of undeclared Emergency," he said on X, decrying the mass detentions, including of CJP's Abhijeet Dipke and others.
Also Read: Why Sonam Wangchuk is skipping CJP’s Jantar Mantar protest on Saturday
"I will be compelled to consider an Anshan Fast (hunger strike) or Padyatra March (foot march) if they are not released by tomorrow," he added, as the CJP and Opposition leaders were disallowed from protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi over the alleged electoral irregularities and "collusion" between the Election Commission and the ruling BJP.
Explaining his decision to stay away, Wangchuk said the situation had changed since he appealed for unity and peace ahead of the protest.
“Yesterday, when I posted a message appealing for unity and peace in today’s protest, I had never imagined that the biggest democracy in the world would be under an undeclared Emergency,” he said.
In a post on Friday, Wangchuk had adapted a famous couplet by poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz to explain his decision to focus on other responsibilities.
He said he remained committed to his work in Ladakh despite what he described as government efforts to obstruct and damage it. He added that preparations were underway for the coming winter, including the development of artificial glaciers to improve water security and experiments to reduce the risks posed by glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
Wangchuk also referred to more than 200 glacial lakes in the high Himalayas that he described as potential threats, saying efforts were being made to address the risks they pose.
During the previous round of protests, Wangchuk was detained on the 21st day of his hunger strike. This was followed by a large march on July 20 and the resignation of senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister on July 25. Wangchuk, who was hospitalised, ended his hunger strike on July 23.
Since then, Wangchuk and the CJP have largely followed separate paths, with the activist returning to his work in Ladakh. He had cited these responsibilities as the reason for not joining the latest protest.