New Delhi: Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk launched an indefinite hunger strike on Sunday to draw attention to the region's demands for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Speaking to ANI, Wangchuk said that he and his team were denied a suitable location for their peaceful protest, forcing them to begin their hunger strike at Ladakh Bhavan, where they felt "virtually detained".
"We were seeking a place where we could hold our peaceful hunger strike but we weren't given that place. So we had no option but to begin (a hunger strike) from Ladakh Bhavan where we were virtually detained," he said.
The activist said that his primary objective is to meet with India's top leaders to discuss the grievances of the Ladakh people. Despite previous assurances, no meeting dates have been provided, prompting him to resume his hunger strike after briefly halting it at Rajghat.
"The assurance that we were given to meet the top leadership of the country, we haven't been given any dates for that so we were forced to start our hunger strike again which we broke on Rajghat. Our appeal has always been the same - after walking for 30 to 32 days, we have come here and would like to meet some of the top leaders of our country in the capital to share our grievances with them," Wangchuk said.
Wangchuk emphasizes that he is not seeking support but rather welcomes those who understand the struggles faced by Ladakh and India.
"I am not asking for support from anyone. We welcome those who understand what is happening in India, what is happening with Ladakh, and what our rights are," he said.
Wangchuk and a group of around 150 supporters were detained by Delhi Police at the Delhi-Haryana border, earlier this week. They were informed about prohibitory orders after travelling for hours on their bus.
"We thought we'd keep to under five [people], but the police were bent on either returning us to Ladakh. They told us to go back, and of course, we hadn't come for that," he explained.
The police detained them due to alleged violations of the prohibitory orders under section 163 of BNS.
"They wanted to detain us, and they did in their police stations. It was not comfortable, but they were making their best efforts. We have no grudges, especially because this actually helped us reach out to more people in the country about our issues," Wangchuk added.
During their detention, Wangchuk said, he and his group resorted to Satyagraha, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's teachings.
"We went on Anshan (hunger strike). Our conditions for breaking our Anshan were two: take us to Rajghat and fulfil our meeting request with the Prime Minister, the President, or the Home Minister," he said. Authorities assured them that a meeting would happen soon.
Wangchuk added, "We will appeal to them to resume the talks going on between the central government and leaders of Ladakh."
Earlier, the Delhi High Court disposed of petitions regarding Wangchuk's detention, confirming that he is no longer under restraint.
Wangchuk and his supporters aim to advocate for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, seeking inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. They say, this would empower the local population to protect their land and cultural identity, a demand supported by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).