Indian opposition slams arrest of Ladakh activist, says Modi govt ‘turning into dictatorship’
New Delhi: Indian opposition parties have strongly condemned the arrest of Ladakh’s prominent climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, stating that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government has descending into dictatorship and weaponized draconian laws as part of political witch-hunt.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Wangchuk was arrested on Friday afternoon, just two days after Indian forces opened fire on unarmed protesters in Leh town, killing four and injuring dozens. The protesters were demanding constitutional safeguards, including statehood for Ladakh and protection under the Sixth Schedule. At the time of the protests, Wangchuk was on a hunger strike. The Indian Home Ministry has sought to blame him for inciting the unrest.
In a statement the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that by arresting Wangchuk for “raising his voice for the rights and entitlements of Ladakh, the Modi government has made it clear that it has fully descended into dictatorship.” “The Aam Aadmi Party stands with the people of Ladakh in this fight.” Former Delhi chief minister and the party’s convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, “Today in our country, dictatorship is at its peak. The end of those who practice dictatorship and arrogance is very bad,” he said.
The Congress, in a statement put out by MP and general secretary media-in charge Jairam Ramesh on X, said that Wangchuk’s arrest was bid to “divert attention” from the BJP’s failure. “The Indian National Congress condemns the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act. This has been done to divert attention and responsibility from the BJP’s abysmal failure to maintain law and order and ensure security of life and property in Ladakh. “The crux of the issue is that the BJP has deceived the people of Ladakh for years. The Modi Government cannot brush issues away or suppress them by arresting Wangchuk,” the party said.
Rashtriya Janata Dal spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha said, “The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) is not just a headline but a disturbing marker of where India stands today. It signals that what was once feared as the creeping shadow of an Orwellian state has already settled firmly into the fabric of governance.” This is not just about his arrest alone but the normalization of extraordinary laws, meant for rare and extreme situations, being used to stifle dissent and silence those who raise questions. By detaining Wangchuk under NSA, the state is sending a chilling message: dissent equals danger, activism equals subversion,” Jha said in a post on X.
The CPI(ML) said that the arrest “clearly exposes the government’s witch-hunting agenda and its attempt to shift blame for a crisis born of the government’s own betrayal of people’s democratic aspirations and trampling of the Constitution.” “The repression in Ladakh makes it plain that the arbitrary abrogation of Article 370 by Modi-BJP government was a nefarious ploy to subjugate the people, tighten authoritarian control, and hand over Ladakh’s resources to corporates. Instead of addressing people’s legitimate demands for statehood, Sixth Schedule status, employment, and protection of land and environment, the regime has resorted to false charges and scapegoating Wangchuk for the September 24 protests,” the party said.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose in a statement said that in arresting Wangchuk, the Modi government has showed that all it can do is treat dissent as anti-national. “Whether in sensitive places like Kashmir or Manipur or Ladakh the Modi government has no policy, No reach out, no reconciliation, no trust building. All that the incompetent Modi regime can do is treat any dissent as “anti national,” and arrest under draconian laws. Shameful,” she said.
