Sonam Wangchuk begins indefinite fast, seeks revival of dialogue on Ladakh demands
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar, saying unfulfilled promises and stalled talks forced him to resume protests. He urged the Centre to revive dialogue on Ladakh's constitutional safeguards while appealing for peaceful, democratic engagement
New Delhi: Climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, who began an indefinite fast at the ongoing CJP protest at Jantar Mantar here on Monday, said he had hoped he would never have to return to agitation, but was left with no choice as promises made to the people of Ladakh remained unfulfilled and dialogue with the Centre had stalled.
In an interview with PTI, Wangchuk, who has been at the forefront of Ladakh’s movement for constitutional safeguards, including Sixth Schedule status, said he remained committed to dialogue and hoped his hunger strike would revive meaningful engagement.
“I was thinking I would not be required to sit on a protest. I am sad I have to sit on a fast again. I am not doing it happily; it is not easy either. I may even die, but even if I die, I will not step back,” Wangchuk told PTI. Wangchuk’s latest agitation comes amid the prolonged movement in Ladakh over demands for constitutional safeguards, statehood and greater political representation for the Union Territory.
The demand for bringing Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution has remained one of the key issues raised by civil society groups from the Union Territory Recalling the dialogue process with the Centre, Wangchuk, who was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in September 2025 during the Ladakh protests and released in February 2026, expressed hope that meetings held during and after his detention would help rebuild trust.
“February 4, when I was in jail, one meeting was held, which was nearly unsuccessful. May 22, after my release, another meeting was held. I had a lot of hope with that because it was said they released me to create an atmosphere of trust and that the dialogue would continue,” he said.
According to Wangchuk, the May 22 meeting had offered an opportunity to move forward, but he alleged that the conclusions were not formally recorded.
“The May 22 meeting was like that, but they are now shying away from putting the conclusions on paper. This was an opportunity to build trust with the people. Taking one step forward and two steps backwards, people lost faith,” he said.
Wangchuk said the trust deficit was rooted in earlier assurances as well. “There was already a trust deficit because after making promises in 2013-14, they went back on their words,” he said, referring to the demand for Sixth Schedule safeguards.
However, he insisted that he had not lost faith in dialogue. “I still have hope, else I would have also committed suicide, but I am still here. It means I still have hope. We hope their conscience will awaken and they will realise they are doing wrong. They had promised it in writing,” he said.
Wangchuk said governments should respond to people’s concerns with empathy and avoid treating dissent as a threat. “If you consider India a democracy… if you don’t, if you think of it as a totalitarian authoritarian government, then you can have a stern approach, but then stop calling yourself a democracy,” he said.
Calling for accountability, Wangchuk said the issues raised by the protesters should be debated in Parliament. “There should be accountability. One resignation may not change everything, but we would want this to be raised in the upcoming session. There should be a debate,” he said.
Appealing to political parties to support the movement, Wangchuk said they should look beyond politics and think of future generations.
“I urge all parties, you are a part of this movement if you stand for the generations to come. Adopt a positive approach. Consider this a blessing that people are still raising their voices. If they were dead, they would not raise their voice. You don’t want a graveyard,” he said.
He also urged protesters to remain peaceful. “Don’t have fear, but also don’t have hatred. Raise your message with flowers. All people of India would be with you. When people are with you, no government would be able to ignore your demands,” he said.
Drawing from his own experience of detention, Wangchuk encouraged young protesters not to fear imprisonment. “Don’t be scared of jail, I can tell by my personal experience, it will transform you. Don’t fear anything. You will get justice,” he said.
Reiterating that his movement was centred on education and environmental protection, Wangchuk said Ladakh’s concerns should not be allowed to linger.
“My two eyes are education and environment. Regarding the environment, I am sitting here to raise the issue of Ladakh and call for it to be resolved.
“Don’t let it become a festering wound. It is a border area which is very sensitive. Keeping it hanging is not in favour of the country,” he said.
