The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has demanded the immediate release of Ladakhi environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, withdrawal of all charges against protesters, restoration of statehood to Ladakh, and inclusion of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. In a strongly worded statement, SKM condemned the imposition of curfew, the police firing that killed four youth and injured over a hundred, and the use of the National Security Act (NSA) against Wangchuk, terming it an “unjust and dangerous conspiracy” to silence democratic voices.
The farmers’ body noted that Wangchuk has been engaged in a peaceful movement for the past five years and was on a hunger strike since September 10. It rejected the Home Ministry’s allegation that he incited violence on September 24, holding instead that the government’s failure to respond to the people’s demands and its reliance on state repression led to the violence. “By branding a patriotic activist as a threat to national security, the government is attempting to delegitimize the genuine struggle of Ladakh’s people for survival, land, resources, and democratic rights,” the statement said.
SKM accused the Union government of adopting an insensitive approach since Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and turned into a Union Territory. It pointed to the alarming rise in unemployment, citing official data showing that joblessness among Ladakhi graduates surged from 9.8% in 2021–22 to 26.5% in 2022–23—nearly double the national average. The statement stressed that the root of the unrest lay in people’s demand for land rights, livelihood security, and constitutional safeguards.
The farmers’ coalition warned against the Centre’s plans to hand over Ladakh’s land, lakes, forests, and pastures to corporate houses like Adani, Tata, and Ambani for mining, industry, trade, and tourism. It argued that such policies undermine traditional livelihoods such as pastoralism, agriculture, and fishing, and violate constitutional provisions meant to protect the region.
Rejecting attempts to brand Wangchuk as a “Chinese agent” or “Pakistani collaborator,” SKM said such remarks by the Home Ministry and the Ladakh DGP were false, defamatory, and insulting to the people of Ladakh. It called for a judicial inquiry into the violence and police firing, highlighting reports that victims were shot in the chest and head—contrary to police protocols that mandate minimum force.
SKM further criticized the BJP-RSS government’s “narrow Hindutva ideology” of “one nation, one culture, one religion, one language, one leader,” which it said was eroding India’s unity in diversity and advancing corporate interests over people’s welfare. It urged all political parties and people’s movements across India to unite against what it described as the Modi government’s authoritarian policies in Ladakh.
“Failure to act now will endanger the unity of India and embolden imperialist powers and anti-national forces,” SKM cautioned.
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