Sonam Wangchuk tried to instigate Gen Z for protests like Nepal, B’desh: Centre

New Delhi, Feb 2: The Centre and the Union Territory of Ladakh administration told the Supreme Court on Monday that jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk tried to instigate Gen Z for protests like in Nepal and Bangladesh.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P V Varale was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that Wangchuk even referred to ‘Arab Springs’ like agitation which has led to the overthrow of multiple governments in countries of the Arab world.
“He carefully crafted his speech to instigate Gen Z and asked for agitations like in Nepal and Bangladesh and used speeches of Mahatma Gandhi to cover the real intention,” Mehta said.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, the wife of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, against his detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India”. The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.
Mehta said Wangchuk referred to the central government as “them” and separated people of Ladakh as “us” and called for “plebiscite” and “referendum”, the calls which were made once in Jammu and Kashmir.
“There is no them or us but we are all Indians. Ladakh is a place which shares borders with two countries — China and Pakistanâ?¦ The area is very fragile.
“The speeches made by him have to be taken into account in totality. He was misleading young people and carefully using the speeches of Mahatma Gandhi to cover it. Gandhi ji never instigated people against their own government,” Mehta said, adding that Ladakh is important for the supply chain for the security forces guarding the borders. (PTI)