Kashmir is still at the heart of political issues in India. Its reorganization in 2019 also gave birth to a new territory, Ladakh. Perched on the roof of the world and very sparsely populated, it also demands certain political and ecological rights. Sonam Wangchuk, one of Ladakh’s spokespersons, is currently walking towards the capital New Delhi from the Himalayas.
2 mins
from our regional correspondent,
The people of Ladakh have the feeling of being forgotten within greater India. It is an isolated territory, perched at more than 3000 meters above sea level, with less than 300,000 inhabitants, mainly Buddhists, in an area as large as Portugal.
In 2019, Ladakh became a Union Territory and it lost its political representation in the defunct Kashmir Parliament. Local populations are warning of the consequences of global warming in the Himalayas on their way of life, close to nature and sometimes nomadic.
In northern India, a demonstration canceled in Ladakh
Ladakh is demanding full state status, to legislate, particularly on real estate investors who build with disregard for ecosystems. And that’s why this great 1,000-kilometer march from Ladakh to the capital New Delhi was launched on September 1 by Sonam Wangchuk.
Sonam Wangchuk, a man of many hats
He is a man of many hats, both a popular educator and an engineer in renewable energies, a specialist in construction using natural and economical materials. Films and documentaries have contributed to his fame in India and around the world. Without being a member of a party, he is an activist and whistleblower in this Himalayan India and he is respected, in principle, by the entire political spectrum.
Here is the message he sent at the start of his march: “ Save Ladakh, save the Himalayas! We request the support of the Indian government to preserve this region and its indigenous people, as it promised us under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution.”
But the peaceful march did not go as planned. Shortly before arriving in New Delhi, in the middle of the week, Sonam Wangchuk and around a hundred of the marchers were arrested by the police, which aroused the indignation of part of public opinion. He was finally released while further up in Ladakh, some of his supporters blocked the roads. The activist has returned to the capital but we do not yet know how this icon will be received by the central government. Because one of its demands: statehood for Ladakh, is extremely political in a context where neighboring Kashmir is also demanding it.