Delhi Police detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters at Singhu border on Monday night. The climate activist-led Delhi Chalo March’ from Ladakh was about to enter the national capital, however Section 163 of the BNS has been imposed at Delhi’s Singhu borders
Sonam Wangchuk and his climate march to the Raj Ghat carefully avoided Jammu and Kashmir during the march. They also decided against marching through the other poll-bound state Haryana and instead took the bus to reach Delhi.
In video messages he appealed that no political slogan be raised and responding to questions about who was funding the march, Wangchuk shared proof of receipts for donations received from villages in Ladakh.
The march, which started from Leh on 1 September, was to culminate at Raj Ghat on 2 October, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary with prayers. Its twin purpose was to remind the union government and the BJP about their unfulfilled promises about extending the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, meant for tribal regions, to Ladakh and to highlight the ecological and environmental concerns in Ladakh.
His attempts to keep the march low-key, subdued and non-controversial, however, was foiled late last evening when batteries of Delhi Police, waiting “I am being DETAINED… along with 150 padyatris at Delhi Border, by hundreds of policemen, some say 1,000. Many elderly men & women in their 80s and a few dozen army veterans… Our fate is unknown. We were on a most peaceful march to Bapu’s Samadhi… in the largest democracy in the world, the mother of democracy… Hai Ram!”, he posted on X.for them at the Singhu border, detained them.
In his video, Sonam Wangchuk also mentioned how police in Punjab and Haryana escorted the participants of ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’, but it “appeared more like a detention as we reached closer to Delhi”.
The action received strong criticism from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who called Wangchuk’s detention as “unacceptable”.In his video, Sonam Wangchuk also mentioned how police in Punjab and Haryana escorted the participants of ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’, but it “appeared more like a detention as we reached closer to Delhi”, he wrote on X.