Ladakh: Sonam Wangchuk alleges detention, police deny charge

Ladakh's top environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk has alleged that he has been detained by the Union Territory's administration after his protest fast demanding special status for Leh, NDTV reported on Monday.

The authorities, however, have denied the charge, saying he was only prevented from observing a five-day fast at the top of Khardung La.

On Sunday, Wangchuk had said the administration wants to "silence him" for the protest against the destruction of the region's ecology and unsustainable development.

The education reformist, who inspired a pivotal character in the Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots”, had announced the hunger strike at the 18,380 feet high Khardung La from January 26 to invite the BJP-led Centre’s attention to the demands of the people of Ladakh. These include an extension of the sixth schedule of the Constitution and environmental protection from unchecked industrial and commercial expansion.

(Agencies)

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