'Is India Really a Democracy?': Detained Ladakh Climate Activist to The Wire

Climate activists from the Save Ladakh group, led by Sonam Wangchuk, were detained near Delhi’s Singhu border while on their way to Rajghat for a peaceful protest. Their key demand? To include Ladakh under India’s Sixth Schedule, ensuring environmental protection and safeguarding their land and culture.

Tenzin and 19 others remain detained at Rohini police station, while Wangchuk and fellow protesters have begun a hunger strike in police custody. They are urging the government to allow a peaceful protest on Gandhi Jayanti. Tenzin spoke with The Wire from Rohini Police station.

Ladakh faces growing environmental threats from proposed infrastructural projects, including a 13-gigawatt renewable energy project in Pang, which may severely impact local pasturelands crucial to the livelihoods of Ladakhi herders. This video delves into the activists’ concerns, highlighting Stanzin’s views on the environmental challenges, Ladakh’s fading hopes post Article 370, and the growing anger in the region as local communities fight for their rights and survival.