Who decides who is a patriot? The lesson from Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest

By Martin Macwan*

Sonam Wangchuk represents India’s progressive civil society. To brand him as “anti-national” is not just an insult to one individual—it is an affront to the entire civil society of this country. I strongly condemn his arrest under the National Security Act (NSA). The government must make public the reasons why Sonam Wangchuk has been labeled anti-national, so that the citizens of India may understand what, in today’s times, truly defines a “nationalist citizen.”

In the cold desert of Ladakh, where 97 percent of the population is tribal, it was Sonam Wangchuk and his team who, within a short span of ten years, raised the school pass rate of tenth-grade students from 5 percent to 75 percent. At an altitude of 10,500 feet, in the most difficult mountainous terrains, he used innovative technology—without cables or complex infrastructure—to connect Ladakhi tribal students through the internet to the global world of education.

It was Sonam Wangchuk who, in sub-zero temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius that freeze human bone and flesh, built solar-powered mud schools with dormitories maintaining indoor temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, giving tribal students a chance to learn and thrive. He is also the innovator who designed warm tents enabling Indian soldiers to defend the nation in extreme cold, and who turned winter ice formations into artificial glaciers that slowly melt in summer to provide water for irrigation.

Instead of glorifying a few tribal leaders with decorative political posts as symbols of love for the tribal community, Wangchuk created unique opportunities that allow tribal people to live with dignity—and he devoted his life to that cause.

By arresting Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act, the central government seems to be sending a clear message to all progressive citizens: possessing proof of citizenship is no longer enough to live under the Constitution’s guarantees of fundamental rights; one must now also prove one’s “nationalist citizenship.” This is bound to create an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among ordinary citizens. The time has come for people themselves to reclaim the right to define what truly constitutes “national interest.”

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*Founder, Dalit Shakti Kendra, Navsarjan Trust, Ahmedabad

To Sonam Wangchuk: 'Will undertake 70 hour solidarity fast in Gujarat'

By Martin Macwan * Dear Colleague Sonam Wangchuk, I have never met you personally. I wrote a short article at the time of your arrest. Your work correctly introduces you. There is truth in your words. You have embarked on a fast, following the footsteps of Gandhiji. Your intention is to make people think. Your demand is reasonable; I believe that the resignation of a single education minister will not improve the state of education in India. However, the question you have raised is extremely important for the future generation of the marginalized. Education is the key to power, development, and progress, which empowers a citizen.

US civil society coalition slams Hudson Institute for hosting RSS leaders

By A Representative The Hudson Institute ’s “New India Conference,” held on April 23, featured senior figures from India’s ruling political ecosystem, including RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and BJP foreign affairs head Vijay Chauthaiwale . The event also included U.S. officials and former diplomats such as Kurt Campbell, Kenneth Juster, and Nisha Biswal, alongside India’s Ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Kwatra.

Remembering Rampur ka Tiraha: State violence and the birth of Uttarakhand’s struggle

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* In the turbulent political landscape of the early 1990s, India witnessed events that reshaped its social and regional equations. After the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, Uttar Pradesh politics shifted dramatically, bringing the Samajwadi Party–Bahujan Samaj Party coalition to power in 1993 under Mulayam Singh Yadav. But the partnership was uneasy. Mulayam was never entirely comfortable playing the “Mandal card.” While Kanshi Ram and the BSP had consistently demanded the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations, Mulayam hesitated, wary of how the move might play out.

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