Released from 6-month NSA detention, Sonam Wangchuk opens door to compromise on Ladakh demands

On the core demands, Wangchuk indicated flexibility in contrast to the stated position of the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which have consistently held that both Sixth Schedule status and full statehood are non-negotiable.

“That’s what the talks will be about. The main two issues are inclusion under the Sixth Schedule and restoration of democracy. As I said, give and take. So if not on both, we would hope on one, we are flexible. On the other, the other side is flexible… Of course, it should not be lose lose for one side. That would not be a successful dialogue. It can be a win win where each side accommodates the other,” he said.

Welcoming what he described as a recent outreach by the government, Wangchuk said, “The recent extending of hand by the government to build trust, as they have said… and to facilitate meaningful constructive dialogue, it is a great thing. Our cause will move forward. So it is truly a win win. The government will come out looking better and our image in the world will be a little better.”

He added that “it will be a greater win if the honourable court also records a judgment in this case, so that it guides the executive in the future on how not to use NSA”.

Framing the development as a shift towards engagement rather than confrontation, he said, “Constructive dialogue is what we were struggling for. And we had to struggle so much …walk from Leh to Delhi, go on hunger strike, be thrown in jail. Even in yesterday’s rally in Leh, the demand was to resume talks. Where will you find such people?”

Drawing a contrast with violent conflicts elsewhere, he added, “Normally you find people leaving the dialogue table and picking up guns. Then the government appeals to them that drop your gun and come to the discussion table.”

Wangchuk also denied there was any deal with the government leading to his release. “Even if there was an offer I wouldn’t have taken it. My agitation was not for myself but for the people of Ladakh,” he said, adding that he would be willing to be part of any high-powered committee representing Ladakh in negotiations with the Centre if required.

He said the government’s move has made his “job easy” as he had otherwise been prepared for a prolonged legal and public battle. “It has made my job easy. Otherwise I was waiting to come out—even after 12 months—and share the horror stories of all the wrongs that happened on me and (my wife). Right from how I was abruptly bundled up from my home without even been given an opportunity to call my family or lawyer for days and weeks,” he said.

His wife, Geetanjali Angmo, who he said had to reach Delhi to move court, “had to sneak out of Ladakh”. “In Delhi her car was followed for weeks. She could not even meet journalists to voice her anguish,” he alleged.

He also spoke of difficulties in defending himself while in custody. “I had such difficulty in jail in defending myself in the way of sending facts about the case. It was made so difficult to send anything to my lawyer. Otherwise the jail staff was very upright and kind,” he said.

Seeking to strike a forward-looking note, Wangchuk said he did not wish to dwell on past grievances. “I want to forget that and look forward to a new beginning where trust is built and dialogue happens. And through that dialogue we get a mutually satisfactory result. I am sure a talk is a give and take process. Both sides have to be considerate and flexible. But it has to be a win win.”

He added that expectations from the latest outreach were high after years of engagement. “I hope that the dialogues will be meaningful and lead us to something. Otherwise it has taken six years of struggle to get to the ‘meaningful’ and ‘constructive’ part of the dialogue… I hope when they say this… they mean something more than what they have previously said.”

He said he would return to Ladakh to consult stakeholders before the next steps. “I hope to go back to Ladakh and consult our leaders of Apex Body and KDA and then engage in discussion,” he said.

Expressing confidence in institutions, Wangchuk said, “My faith in the judiciary is even more strengthened from what we witnessed in the court.”

He also urged the government to withdraw cases related to the September protests. “I hope that this exercise of trust building can also start the process of generosity whereby these cases… many of which are meaningless cases of arrest in context of the September 24 (violence)… are undone. Even people going to donate blood have been arrested. Two people are still in jail,” he said.

Wangchuk also reiterated his commitment to non-violent methods. “I have always said I do not want to sit on hunger strike. It is only when circumstances force me. We still don’t want to do it. Now that they are extending a hand, we must shake it. But we are not making a pledge that we will not do anything. The path that Mahatma Gandhi has shown, we will do it with full commitment if the need arises,” he said.

Referring to allegations made against him earlier, he added, “Initially there were allegations after allegations, but in court it was all proved to have been misunderstood… I don’t want to keep any bitterness in my heart. I look ahead, not behind.”

At the same time, he flagged concerns over the socio-economic profile of inmates during his incarceration. “In jails 70 per cent people were poor. This was slightly unsettling. This needs to change,” he said, while also recalling humane conduct by prison staff and interactions with inmates.

“If I was deshdrohi, I shouldn’t have been released. People are pained in Ladakh that they were branded anti-national,” he said.