Why Ladakh climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is on ‘fast unto death’ as climate protest enters 13th day

As his ‘fast unto death’ protest entered its 13th day, noted climate activist Sonam Wangchuk continued to press for his demand for constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory of Ladakh, and protection of ecologically fragile Ladakh’s ecosystem from industrial and mining lobbies.

“250 people slept hungry in -12 °C to remind the Indian Government of their promises to safegurad Ladakh’s environment and its tribal indigenous culture. This Government likes to call India the ‘Mother of Democracy’. But if India denies democratic rights to people of Ladakh, then it could only be called a Stepmother of Democracy,” Wangchuk, Ladakh-based engineer and educator, wrote in his latest post on X on Monday, while thanking those who participated in the previous day’s protest against Ladakh’s climate crisis.

BEGINNING OF DAY 13 OF MY #CLIMATEFAST
250 people slept hungy in – 12 °C to remind the Indian Government of their promises to safegurad Ladakh's environment and tribal indigenous culture. 
First of all many heartfelt thanks to all who participated in yesterday's protests in… pic.twitter.com/jU1vZmbCWP

— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) March 18, 2024

Wangchuk’s protest had kicked off on March 6 from Leh, Ladakh, where he addressed a gathering of hundreds of people at 3,500 metres above the sea level, announcing that his protest will take place in stages of 21 days each.

What is Wangchuk protesting?

Speaking from Leh earlier this month, he underlined two appeals in his address ahead of the protest: an appeal to all people to lead simpler lives, and a direct appeal to the government to fulfil its promise to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and give statehood for the region.

“After many meetings, the government has backtracked on its promises and is talking of a much diluted version of what is already in the Constitution for this exact situation. So what happened and why did they change their mind?,” Wangchuk said, pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government had mentioned the protection of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule in their manifestos for 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2020 Ladakh Hill Council polls.

The protest comes after the Ladakhi leaderships entered into talks with Centre to discuss threadbare the demands for Ladakh’s statehood, inclusion of the Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the setting up of an exclusive public service commission for the high-altitude region. The talks, however, remained inconclusive.

While the reason behind the government’s U-turn is speculative, Wangchuk said his goal was to make the voices of Ladakhi people heard “so that the pressure of the industrial and mining lobbies is neutralised and the government can take a fair decision.”

The activist expressed environmental concerns surrounding the Himalayas, and said industries have been exploiting the mountains by setting up dams and mining.

“We believe we are helping the government, so we appeal to you to form Ladakh support groups in your own cities to support nature, support the Himalayas, and support the indigenous people of Ladakh,” he said.

Why 21 days?

The fast will unfold in phases, the educator said, adding that each phase will have 21 days.

“Twenty-one days – because this is the longest fast that Mahatma Gandhi kept during the Independence struggle, and I want to follow the Mahatma’s path where we inflict pain on ourselves so our government and policymakers notice our pain and act in time,” the activist said in his March 6 address.

What is the Sixth Schedule?

The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 of the Indian Constitution provides for the formation of autonomous administrative regions called Autonomous District Councils (ADCs).

ADCs are granted autonomy on legislative, judicial, and administrative matters within a state. They can have up to 30 members with a term of five years, and can make laws, rules and regulations with regard to land, forest, water, agriculture, village councils, health, sanitation, village- and town-level policing, etc.

Currently, it applies to the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram (three Councils each), and Tripura (one Council).

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