Detention of Sonam Wangchuk, other Ladakhis unacceptable: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Modi government over the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and several other Ladakhis, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi terming it as "unacceptable" and saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have to listen to Ladakh's voice.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the "arrogance of the Modi government", consumed in power, has detained a group of citizens from Ladakh peacefully marching to Delhi.

Around 120 people from Ladakh, including Wangchuk -- who had marched to the national capital demanding Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory -- have been detained by the Delhi Police at the national capital's border.

Kharge said it was nothing but a "cowardly action, and is deeply undemocratic in nature".

In Ladakh, there is a growing wave of public support, with widespread calls for safeguarding tribal communities under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, he said.

"Instead, the Modi government wants to exploit the ecologically sensitive Himalayan glaciers of Ladakh to benefit its crony friends. This incident tells us that the fight against Modi Govt's brazen despotism is far from over!" Kharge said.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, "The detention of Sonam Wangchuk ji and hundreds of Ladakhis peacefully marching for environmental and constitutional rights is unacceptable." The former Congress chief also asked why elderly citizens were being detained at Delhi's border for standing up for Ladakh's future.

"Modi ji, like with the farmers, this 'Chakravyuh' will be broken, and so will your arrogance. You will have to listen to Ladakh's voice," Gandhi said.

Congress general secretary in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal, said a day before Gandhi Jayanti, the government of India is out to kill his ideals once again.

"The arrest of Sonam wangchuk ji shows the government is scared of anyone who speaks up for their rights. Ladakh has been silenced, stripped of its democratic rights, and on the verge of being handed over to large corporates," Venugopal said.

"This protest is months old, and the BJP is silly to think such petty acts of cowardice are going to deter those who have embarked on a Gandhian mission. The Modi regime is hell bent on repeating the sins that have caused their downfall," the Congress leader said.

In a post on Instagram shortly before being detained, Wangchuk shared visuals from the Delhi border, where their buses were stopped amid huge police presence.

The climate activist can be seen in the video interacting with police officials.

In his post, Wangchuk said several vehicles of the Delhi Police and its Haryana counterpart were accompanying their buses. While they initially thought that they were being escorted as they approached the national capital, it was clear they were going to be detained.

"As we are approaching Delhi, it appears we are not being escorted, we are being detained," Wangchuk said.

He said around 1,000 police personnel had been deployed at the Delhi border and they were informed that heavy deployment of security forces was made at the Ladakh Bhawan in Delhi, and in areas where students from the Union Territory resided.

"It appears they don't want to allow this padyatra to take place," he said.

The padyatra was organised by the Leh Apex Body which, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance, is spearheading an agitation over the past four years to demand statehood for Ladakh, its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.

The Delhi Police on Monday banned gatherings by five or more persons, carrying banners, placards, and arms, and protests in the central part and bordering areas for the next six days, citing law and order issues, including calls for protests by several organisations.