Ex-bureaucrats condemn government’s handling of Ladakh protests, call for release of Sonam Wangchuk

By A Representative 

The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), comprising 113 retired civil servants, has sharply criticised the Union government’s handling of the ongoing people’s protests in Ladakh, calling it “knee-jerk and negative” and emblematic of a larger pattern of intolerance toward peaceful public dissent. In a statement issued on Saturday, the group accused the government of resorting to excessive force and punitive legal action instead of addressing the legitimate grievances of the people of Ladakh.

“We are a group of former government officials who have worked with the central and state governments and have come together as the Constitutional Conduct Group to speak out on actions of the government which we consider are against the interests of the people of India and often in violation of the Indian Constitution,” the statement read. “One never ceases to marvel at the inept approach of the Union government to any mass protest in the country,” the group said, comparing the government’s response to the Ladakh agitation with its handling of earlier protests — including the CAA demonstrations, the farmers’ movement, and the Manipur unrest.

The retired officials said the current unrest in Ladakh was rooted in the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the creation of Ladakh as a Union Territory without a legislature. This, they said, removed key protections on land, employment, and governance, leading to fears of demographic change and loss of local control. “Citizens might wonder why the people of Ladakh, a quiet and peaceful place, are so extremely agitated. The issues giving rise to the protests arose with the revocation of Article 370,” the statement noted.

The CCG highlighted that even though the government had considered bringing Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution — which provides local autonomy to tribal-dominated regions — the proposal was never pursued. “The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes as well as the Law Ministry had recommended the move, but for reasons not in the public domain, this matter did not progress,” it said.

Terming the demands of the Ladakh movement “entirely reasonable,” the group said the protesters’ key asks — statehood with a legislature and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule — merited “sympathetic consideration.” Instead, the government had chosen “to hit back with all their strength,” the CCG said, condemning the recent firing on demonstrators that left four people dead, including a decorated Kargil war veteran. “What a reward for patriotism!” the statement observed.

The group also denounced the arrest of renowned educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act, describing it as a vindictive act. “Sonam Wangchuk’s protests have always been Gandhian and peaceful. The vindictiveness of the government is apparent in the minutiae of their actions as well,” it said, referring to the immediate cancellation of FCRA registration for his NGO. The CCG said it was “deeply disturbing” that senior officials, including the Lt. Governor and police authorities, had accused Wangchuk of “treason” and “links with Pakistan,” calling it part of a broader strategy of “character assassination.”

Warning that the government’s approach to border regions like Ladakh was “inept and dangerous,” the group said such actions threatened national security by alienating loyal citizens in a strategically vital region bordering China. “The region should be kept at arm’s length from the government’s domestic politics and compulsions. Its strategic value is far too important to play politics with,” the statement said.

The CCG said it was “astonished” that despite the agitation continuing since 2021, the Union government had done little to address people’s concerns. “Instead, the government allowed the anger to build up and then took the most heavy-handed action of confronting the crowds and firing upon them,” it said, adding that subsequent measures — such as internet shutdowns and prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — only deepened public resentment.

Calling for an immediate change in approach, the group urged the government to “undo all the wrong steps that have been taken,” including the release of Sonam Wangchuk, the withdrawal of prohibitory orders, and the restoration of internet services. It also called for talks with the protest leaders to find “acceptable solutions,” including possible inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. “There is no loss of prestige in this. In fact, it is the mark of a sagacious government which cares for the good of its people,” the CCG said, concluding its statement with the motto Satyameva Jayate.