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Now a security ‘threat’, Sonam Wangchuk was Govt’s expert for all seasons

Official records show Wanghuk was also the Centre's go-to man to headline its flagship events in Ladakh, such as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and World Heritage Week.

At a market in Leh during a 4-hour relaxation in the curfew on Tuesday. (PTI)

Last Friday, Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) after being accused of instigating the protests demanding statehood for Ladakh, which turned violent, leading to four deaths in police firing in Leh on September 24. The NSA empowers governments to act pre-emptively against individuals seen as a threat to public order or national security.

And yet, as recently as last year, key offices of the Government were reaching out to the acclaimed education reformer, climate activist and technology innovator for guidance — from topics as diverse as water conservation, clean energy, tourism and even pashmina.

Official records show Wanghuk was also the Centre’s go-to man to headline its flagship events in Ladakh, such as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and World Heritage Week.

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So much so, that in April 2022, BJP’s national general secretary Vinod Tawde, then Education minister of Maharashtra, publicly thanked Wangchuk for “working together towards betterment of our Nation, specially welfare of our students”. Wangchuk was a member of the Maharashtra International Education Board from 2018 when he was appointed by the Devendra Fadnavis government.

While Wangchuk’s recent visit to Islamabad was cited by Ladakh DGP Dr SD Singh Jamwal to justify “a big question mark” on the activist’s “credibility,” he was not the only Indian expert to attend the Breathe Pakistan climate event organised by the Dawn group in February.

Also Read | After Leh apex body pulls out, Kargil says ‘no Ladakh talks with Centre till Sonam Wangchuk is released’

Harjeet Singh, founding director of Noida-based Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, was the other Indian delegate at the two-day event. Among the others who attended were World Bank’s global director for climate change Valerie Hickey; UNEP’s senior regional advisor Aban Marker Kabraji; and, UNICEF South Asia Climate Change and Energy Advisor and Carbon Finance Specialist Rakshya R Thapa, among others.

Sunita Narain, environmentalist and director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), was also among the Indian invitees but could not make it due to “health issues.” Two Indian journalists attended the event as media delegates.

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When contacted, Harjeet Singh said: “As an energy expert, I attend events across the world. In February, I took part in a discussion on just transition and climate resilience in Islamabad.” Narain declined to comment.

Also Read | ‘He praised Modi’s mission in Pak conference’: Wangchuk’s wife hits out at Centre, says ‘every allegation wrong’

Wangchuk has also been accused of “sabotaging and vitiating the process” of granting Schedule VI status for Ladakh. However, in December 2019, then Union Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda had acknowledged Wangchuk’s fight for Ladakh’s Scheduled Area status.

In a letter dated December 24, 2019, Munda wrote to Wanghchuk: “I appreciate your concerns on the need to preserve the identity and culture of the people residing in the UT, including the grant of Scheduled Area status. I would like to inform you that my Ministry… has already communicated a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to consider (the) declaration of the UT of Ladakh as a Schedule VI area.”

In his reply dated January 23, 2020, Wanghchuk thanked the minister for restoring Ladakh’s trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah that they would “never let down the interests of Ladakh, the crown of India, inhabited by extremely patriotic people.”

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Wangchuk also wrote: “The biggest security asset that India has in these mountains… is not its guns and rockets… but the people of Ladakh… something that neither China nor Pakistan can claim about their local people in the border areas.”

Also Read | Innovator to ‘provocateur’, Wangchuk’s equation with Delhi changed over 3 decades

Then again, much before Wangchuk publicly thanked the Prime Minister for making Ladakh an Union Territory in August 2019, he was a key advisor to then J&K Governor Satyapal Malik, who met him at the Raj Bhavan in February to discuss reforms in the education system.

In June 2019, Malik had inaugurated a solar-powered residential building at the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, an alternative school run by Wangchuk, and lauded his efforts to improve Ladakh’s education system.

In July 2020, Ladakh’s first Lt Governor RK Mathur met Wangchuk to discuss the “Future Ladakh” agenda — keeping the region free of pollution while focussing on clean energy for the region’s development.

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Wangchuk was also received by Mathur’s successor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra in March 2023 when he welcomed the new Lt Governor “with famous Saspola/ Karkechu apples” from his village and discussed “collaborations in water, afforestation, pashmina and solar energy”.

Wangchuk also shared the stage on multiple occasions with Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, the BJP MP from Ladakh. He was sought out, routinely, for events organised by the local authorities in collaboration with the Centre. They include:

Feb 23, 2021: Ladakh Winter Conclave, Tourism department.

Dec 3, 2021: Keynote speaker at webinar of Nehru Yuva Kendra (Kargil), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, on water conservation and management in Ladakh as part of Jal Shakti Abhiyaan-2.

April 27, 2022: Cooperative movement and awareness camp under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at Ladakh’s Tingmosgang.

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Oct 21, 2022: Digital content creation training by Ladakh’s Dept of School Education with NCERT.

Nov 25, 2022: World Heritage Week event by Archaeological Survey of India.

July 26, 2023: Springshed Management, inaugurated by Dr Pawan Kotwal, Advisor to LG, as part of Water Vision 2047.

May 3, 2023: Foundation Day of Ladakh Cultural Forum with Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal.

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Jan 10, 2024: Social, Emotional and Ethical learning educator workshop at District Institute of Education and Training in Leh.

Jay Mazoomdaar

Jay Mazoomdaar is an investigative reporter focused on offshore finance, equitable growth, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation. Over two decades, his work has been recognised by the International Press Institute, the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, the Asian College of Journalism etc. Mazoomdaar’s major investigations include the extirpation of tigers in Sariska, global offshore probes such as Panama Papers, Robert Vadra’s land deals in Rajasthan, India’s dubious forest cover data, Vyapam deaths in Madhya Pradesh, mega projects flouting clearance conditions, Nitin Gadkari’s link to e-rickshaws, India shifting stand on ivory ban to fly in African cheetahs, the loss of indigenous cow breeds, the hydel rush in Arunachal Pradesh, land mafias inside Corbett, the JDY financial inclusion scheme, an iron ore heist in Odisha, highways expansion through the Kanha-Pench landscape etc. ... Read More

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