Wangchuk accuses Ladakh admin of witch-hunt & smear campaign

SRINAGAR: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk Saturday accused the Ladakh administration of “witch-hunting” him for raising his voice for the youth of the country and the well-being of border areas like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.“I am being continuously witch-hunted and defamed and our schools are being harassed in every possible way by the LG administration in Ladakh,” said Wangchuk, who is a member of Leh Apex Body (LAB), a representative body of the people of Ladakh.The Ladakh administration has not responded to the allegations so far.In a message to the President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention, Wangchuk alleged, “For the last six years or so, Ladakh has become a police state. We don’t have rights like in the rest of the country, nor democracy.”“Even small comments and likes on social media are a big issue. There are FIRs and even arrests,” he alleged.He said two social media pages, Ladakh Lens 1 and Ladakh Vision 1, surfaced on Oct 14 and that the former allegedly created to defame him through “unfounded allegations” while the latter was aimed at “praising the Lieutenant Governor’s work” in the UT.Wangchuk also alleged that there is “widespread public dissatisfaction with the administration’s policies”.He said the land policy, under which farmers were being stripped of their land and the “industrial and power and tourism policies” favoured corporatisation.He said the govt is promoting liquor bars in every village.He alleged that LG of Ladakh is after institutes like his that have “earned national and international repute”.On Nov 3, authorities directed Himalayan Institute of Alternatives (HIAL), founded by Wangchuk, to refrain from starting classes and other activities at a school within the complex in Leh till a land dispute pending in the high court is decided. A notice pertaining to Desert Flower School was issued to Gitanjali J. Angmo, Wangchuk’s wife who is listed as HIAL’s official founder and CEO. The notice says moves to start classes at the school could “prejudice” proceedings pending in the HC.The school was preparing to begin its new academic session, for which it had sought an NOC that has not been granted so far.According to the govt spokesperson, the notice issued by the Leh tehsildar advises HIAL to maintain “strict status quo” and “not undertake any action whatsoever towards functioning or commencement of activities at the school” until the final HC decision.Ladakh authorities had cancelled HIAL’s land allotment in Aug 2025, following which it moved the HC. In an affidavit last month, the authorities accused HIAL of occupying the land without paying dues.The affidavit also accused Wangchuk of inciting violence in Leh in Sept last year in which four people were killed and scores injured in alleged police firing on protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.