Govt Trying to Malign Wangchuk's Movement, Crush Dissent: Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan
New Delhi: Social activist Yogendra Yadav and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan condemned the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Speaking at a press conference held at the Press Club in Delhi on Tuesday (September 30), Bhushan and Yadav demanded Wangchuk's immediate release and accused the Union government of betraying the people of Ladakh.
Yadav said: “This government is trying to malign Sonam Wangchuk's non-violent movement by falsely accusing him of inciting violence. The government does not have a single piece of video evidence to support this claim.
“The truth is that when there is no evidence under the common law, this government resorts to laws like the NSA, so that anyone can be jailed without any proof.”
He added: “Fortunately, in Ladakh, there have not been internal clashes like in Manipur, but this government's arrogance and lack of understanding [in Ladakh] is the same as what created the situation in Manipur. This government is weakening the country's borders, whether it was during the farmers' protest, in Manipur or now in Leh.”
Last Friday, Wangchuk was arrested under the NSA in Ladakh, from where he was subsequently shifted to the Jodhpur jail.
However, Bhushan said that the administration even four days later has not provided a copy of the NSA order pertaining to Wangchuk's arrest.
“How can anyone claim that detaining Wangchuk will stop the violence in Ladakh? In fact, had he not been arrested, he was the one helping to prevent violence by repeatedly appealing for peace. This arrest is only hurting the sentiments of the people of Ladakh," Bhushan said.
Calling his arrest “illegal” and a “completely malicious action”, the advocate said the Union government was ‘suppressing’ Wangchuk by launching a CBI inquiry into and cancelling the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act license of his Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh NGO and by detaining him “only because [he] was asking the BJP government to fulfill its promises” to Ladakh's people.
“Rather than control the Ladakh violence, this arrest has further angered the people in Ladakh,” Bhushan said, adding that it is “clear that the government's real intention is to crush dissent by any means”.
After Wangchuk's arrest and the immediately preceding violence in Ladakh – where four civilians were killed amid clashes between protesters and security forces – the situation there is currently under control, but curfew and prohibitory orders have been imposed by the police and administration.
The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance that represent social, political, trade and religious groups in Leh and Kargil respectively have also announced that they will not participate in any talks with the Union government until Wangchuk is released and the curfew in the Ladakhi capital is lifted.
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