Ladakh is India’s crown jewel and a major tourist hub, with the snow-clad Himalayas of every hue pierce the azure sky. But its fragile ecology cannot sustain excessive population and development. With the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill by Parliament on August 5, 2019, Ladakh’s umbilical cord has been severed from Jammu and Kashmir. In the absence of a protection mechanism, the region might fall prey to business sharks and industrial conglomerates looking for mining prospects.
Sonam Wangchuk was one such great warrior who took the lead in coming forward with suggestions. In 2015, when Ladakh faced a crisis due to a landslide which blocked the Phugtal river in Zanskar and caused formation of 15 km long lake which became a huge threat for the downstream population,Wangchuk proposed using siphon technology to drain the lake and water source instead of blowing up the lake, but his suggestions were ignored and eventually the flood destroyed 12 bridges and many fields.
On 26 January 2023, to highlight the effects of climate change on the fragile ecosystem of Ladakh and to demand its protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, Wangchuk attempted to go on a fast at the Khardungla pass. However, the authorities prevented him from going to Khardungla by putting him under house arrest, restricting his movement, as well as restricting people from visiting him.
In March 2024, after the Indian government once again rejected the Ladakh people’s proposal, he began a 21-day “Climate Fast” hunger strike. On 30 September 2024, Wangchuk and his supporters walked from Ladakh to Delhi, hoping that more people would see the harsh climate and human rights in Ladakh. However, after he arrived in Delhi after untold hardships, he was harassed by the Delhi police, detained and expelled.
He was just on hunger strike and did not cause harm to others, but used his health to try to wake up the sleeping government. Countless protests were rejected countless times, in exchange for countless persistence. This is the persistence of a brave warrior, but it also exposes that the democracy advocated by the Indian government does not exist.