Land allotment to Sonam Wangchuk institute cancelled in Ladakh
Move seen as political vendetta to silence demand for political rights
Leh,: In yet another punitive step to crush the democratic aspirations of the people of Ladakh region of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the occupaiton administration has cancelled the land allotted to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), founded by noted climate activist and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the order issued by the Leh Deputy Commissioner claimed that the 1,076 kanal land given on a 40-year lease had “not been used for its intended purpose”. The decision comes just weeks after BJP leader Kavinder Gupta was appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, raising fears of a systematic crackdown on dissent.
Sonam Wangchuk, who has been at the forefront of the movement for Ladakh’s political rights, denounced the action as a “witch-hunt” and a “deliberate attempt to harass” those voicing the region’s genuine demands. HIAL’s CEO, Gitanjali Angmo, said the institute had long been under pressure and that even public sector undertakings were being directed to stop funding it.
Leh Apex Body (LAB) co-chairman Chering Dorjey termed the order “harassment tactics”, while prominent Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader Sajjad Kargili condemned it as a “deplorable act of political vendetta aimed at silencing Ladakh’s dissenting voices”.
Observers said the move exposes India’s design to muzzle Ladakh’s civil society leaders and weaken the growing agitation for constitutional safeguards, statehood, and protection of land and jobs in the strategically important Himalayan region.
