The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday lashed out at Ladakh Director General of Police (DGP) Jamwal over the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), questioning the evidence against him.
In a video post on X, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “This is the central government’s DGP who has booked Sonam Wangchuk, a globally awarded personality, under sedition and NSA. When asked about the reason for NSA, just look at his expressions, listen to his wordsâit is as if someone is narrating gossip at a roadside shop. Is this the way an officer should speak?”
Bhardwaj further questioned, “What is the proof? YouTube videos of Sonam Wangchuk? A Pakistani agent reporting about him? An agent’s job is to reportâhow does that make him a traitor? He attended a newspaper event in Pakistan, so what? The visa was given by the central government itself. How does that amount to sedition? This reminds one of how the British falsely framed freedom fighters in fabricated cases just to jail them under any pretext.”
Alongside, AAP held a protest against Wangchuk’s arrest, calling it an assault on democracy and people’s rights.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also slammed the BJP-led central government. “Ravana’s end also came. Kansa’s end also came. Hitler’s and Mussolini’s end also came. And today, people hate all those individuals. Today in our country, dictatorship is at its peak. The end of those who practice dictatorship and arrogance is always very bad,” Kejriwal wrote on X in Hindi.
Wangchuk was arrested on Friday under the NSA and transferred to Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Central Jail, sources told India Today. The government has accused him of making “provocative statements” and claimed that “politically motivated” groups unhappy with talks between officials and Ladakhi representatives had incited the protests demanding statehood for the Union Territory.
The Ministry of Home Affairs alleged that Wangchuk’s references to the Arab Spring and Nepal’s Gen Z protests triggered mob violence, which resulted in the torching of the local BJP office in Leh and several government vehicles.
“Sonam Wangchuk has had a history of instigating. He has referred to the Arab Spring, Nepal and Bangladesh. The investigation into his funding is going on for FCRA violation,” DGP Jamwal said.
When asked if there was a foreign hand in the unrest, Jamwal replied, “During the investigation, two more people were caught. If they are part of some design, I cannot say. This place has a history of Nepalese people working as labourers, so we will have to investigate.”
The DGP further claimed that the violence in Ladakh was fuelled by “provocative speeches” made by “so-called environmental activists.”
