Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested days after the Home Ministry accused him of instigating violence among Ladakh's youth after a protest in Wednesday
(September 24) killed four and injured at least 80.
Wangchuk was part of a group staging peaceful campaigns to demand statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule when a group of young people resorted to violence by pelting stones and torching vehicles.
Wangchuk had since called for non-violent approach to ensure demands of the people of Ladakh are met and ended his hunger strike on the same day.
The Home Ministry said Wangchuk made "provocative statements" that instigated the youth against the government which he was "scapegoat tactic" to divert the public from real issues in Ladakh.
The activist and engineer-turned-education reformer told The Hindu on Thursday that he was not scared of being arrested.
Wangchuk had compared the Wednesday unrest in Ladakh to Arab Spring movement, saying the youth are frustrated from years of unfulfilled promises and rampant unemployment.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP government had promised Ladakh that it would be brought under the Sixth Schedule as 97% of the population is indigenous tribal. That promise is yet to be fulfilled more than five years later.
After a few rounds of failed talks in the previous years, PTI reported that a round of talks is scheduled between the Centre and Ladakh representatives, comprising members of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on October 6.
