Indian police forcibly removed hunger striker and educator Sonam Wangchuk from a student protest site, ending a high-profile demonstration centered on the constitutional status of the Ladakh region. The operation occurred as Wangchuk and his supporters campaigned for Ladakh to be granted Sixth Schedule status to protect its fragile ecosystem and indigenous land rights.
Police Intervention at Protest Site
Security forces moved in to disperse the gathering, physically lifting Wangchuk from the site where he had been conducting a fast. The removal follows a period of escalating tension between the Ladakh administration and activists who argue that the region’s unique demographic and environmental needs are being ignored by the central government in New Delhi.
The Demand for Sixth Schedule Status
Wangchuk’s protest focuses on the demand for Ladakh to be included under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This legal provision allows for the creation of Autonomous District Councils with legislative, judicial, and administrative powers, specifically designed to protect tribal populations and their traditional land-use patterns.
Since the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, which saw Ladakh become a separate Union Territory, local leaders have expressed concern over the lack of democratic representation. The Sixth Schedule would provide a legal safeguard against external corporate interests and land acquisitions that activists claim threaten the region’s glaciers and high-altitude biodiversity.
Administrative Response and Legal Standing
The Indian government has previously cited security concerns and the strategic sensitivity of the border region—which shares boundaries with China and Pakistan—as reasons for maintaining tight administrative control. While officials have engaged in several rounds of talks with Ladakhi representatives, no formal agreement to implement the Sixth Schedule has been reached.
The forced removal of Wangchuk marks a shift in the state’s handling of the movement, moving from monitored dialogue to active police intervention to clear public spaces and disrupt the hunger strike.
