The five-day fast of Magsaysay award winner Sonam Wangchuk in Ladakh has drawn attention to the serious environmental dangers faced by the region and sounded a warning about the many forms of protest that environmental problems may give rise to. Wangchuk undertook the fast to safeguard the "glaciers, mountains, land and people" of Ladakh and for inclusion of the union territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. This is to ensure greater autonomy for the region so that local people can exercise control over its development. Wangchuk’s words make it clear: “After Ladakh became a union territory, it has seen a massive collapse. Tourism has proven to be highly toxic, with six lakh tourists in five months, in 5 sq km of eco-sensitive area. Imagine what industries and mining would do to it.’’
Wangchuk is a technologist, innovator and social and climate change activist with a deep understanding of his region. The entire Himalayan ecology is under pressure and the people of Ladakh have started experiencing climate change and its manifestations. Glaciers are melting and lakes and water bodies have seen a big increase in water spread area. Wangchuk has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take special interest in the matter. The seriousness that he attaches to it can be seen from his statement that the authorities are sowing seeds of militancy in peaceful Ladakh. The government should pay heed to his words. His demands must also be seen in the context of his openly expressed disenchantment with the Modi government’s decisions about Jammu and Kashmir, of which Ladakh was a part. He now says, “We were better off with J&K than with today’s UT.’’ It will be unwise to ignore such concerns and warnings. Ladakh is an area of strategic importance, too. Climate issues can create unrest in unexpected ways. Wangchuk was a supporter of the abrogation of Article 370. He has a different view now, and he should be listened to as he is informed, credible and sincere, and is speaking on the basis of his experience.
The government has instead put him under house arrest, claiming that it is for his protection, and told him to sign a bond which mandates that he will not comment on or participate in any activity “related to Leh district.’’ It is usually criminals who are made to sign such bonds. It is a new way of dealing with protest and dissent, and it is unfortunate that one of the country’s most highly regarded persons is being tackled in this manner.