New Delhi: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and other Ladakhis broke their 16-day-long fasts on Monday evening (October 21) at the Ladakh Bhawan in New Delhi. This came right after Union home ministry officials presented Wangchuk with a letter that said that the Union government would renew talks on their demands, including implementation of the sixth schedule in the Union Territory.
Wangchuk and around 20 people from Ladakh have been on an indefinite fast since October 6, surviving only on water and salt, in an effort to get the Union government to announce a date to renew talks with leaders of the Ladakh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance regarding Ladakhis’ demands. The demands include constitutional safeguards such as the implementation of the sixth schedule in the Union Territory.
‘Hoping for a meaningful resolution’
The joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) arrived at Ladakh Bhawan on Monday and presented Wangchuk with a letter, followed by a glass of juice so that he could break his fast. The other Ladakhis fasting along with Wangchuk at Ladakh Bhawan also broke their fasts.
Wangchuk then told the press (the interaction was live streamed on his YouTube channel) that the Union government said in the letter that talks with Ladakhi regional bodies – which had been stalled for several months – would be renewed. As per the letter, the first set of talks with leaders of LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance will occur on December 3.
Ladakhis have made four specific demands of the Union government, including the implementation of the sixth schedule in the area and designating the Union Territory as a state. These moves, the Ladakhis have said, will help ensure more involvement of local communities in governance, which will in turn help conserve the fragile environment and ecosystem of the region by implementing development projects in a way that is also mindful of the environment.
“Today on the 16th day of our fast, I’m happy to say that our main appeal has been resolved,” Wangchuk said.
“I hope both sides hold these talks with solidarity and good faith…and I hope for good outcomes for both Ladakh and the nation, and a happy ending,” he added.
Tsering Dorjay Lakruk, co-chairman of the LAB, said that he hoped that the new round of talks would “give a meaningful solution”.
Lakruk, while thanking locals, students, individuals and NGOs who showed support for their fast, said that Ladakhis would always remember the “solidarity that everyone showed us”. Wangchuk also thanked the citizens of India for their support.
“It was a true display of unity in diversity in India,” he said.
He added that he hoped for a “good outcome” not just for Ladakh but for the Himalayas as well, and that the Union government would trust the responsibility of stewardship of the region with the local people.
The Ladakhi contingent will return in two-three days since their “main appeal has been fulfilled”, Wangchuk said.
‘Hope won’t have to undertake such a fast again’
Wangchuk added that he hoped that he would not have to undertake such a fast again.
The fast that Wangchuk and around 20 others broke at Ladakh Bhawan on October 21 is the second of its kind that many Ladakhis have taken up over the past month in the national capital.
On September 30, the Delhi police detained several of the 150 people participating in a ‘Climate March’ – a 1,000 km walk from Leh to Delhi led by Wangchuk – at the Singhu border in Delhi. The march’s aim had been to present a memorandum containing the Ladakhis’ chief demands, including constitutional safeguards, to the Union government.
Wangchuk, along with other detainees, then began indefinite fasts on the same night in protest of their detention. It was only after the Union government said on October 2 that it would ensure that the Ladakhis got an audience with the prime minister, president or the home affairs minister, did they agree to break their fasts. However, after no further communication from the Union government, Wangchuk and around 20 others again began indefinite fasts from the night of October 6.
On October 5 and 6, the Delhi police had also denied them permission to conduct their sit-in indefinite fasts at Jantar Mantar, claiming that there was no provision under any existing law for such a fast. Hence, Wangchuk and the 20 others began their indefinite fasts at Ladakh Bhawan, where they have been staying since they were released from detention on October 2.