SRINAGAR: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said Thursday he feared he could be subjected to an “encounter” for speaking out against what he called atrocities in Ladakh, a year after police firing killed four protesters in Leh.Drawing a comparison with Tibet, Wangchuk said Ladakhis had chosen India because of its democracy. “Today, such atrocities are being committed in Ladakh that even China is not doing in Tibet. That is what you are seeing today,” he said, addressing a gathering on the first anniversary of the police firing on Sept 24, 2025.He sought a people’s tribunal to probe the killings, saying a judicial commission set up by Union home ministry had yet to submit its report.“Last year on this day, four people died… Bullets hit their chests, backs, and heads. Those were not pellets that would merely injure you or hurt your eyes. Bullets were fired indiscriminately from automatic weapons, like AK-47s, at the unarmed youth of Ladakh who were peacefully demanding their rights,” Wangchuk alleged.He rejected claims that the protests were triggered by him. He alleged that before the 2020 LAHDC-Leh elections, Ladakhi representatives opposed to holding polls were taken to New Delhi on a special flight and promised statehood and Sixth Schedule status. He blamed “govt failure to honour those promises” for last year’s demonstrations.Authorities imposed curfew-like restrictions in Leh after the alleged “arson and rioting” and subsequent police firing. FIRs were filed and 81 people arrested, including Wangchuk. He was charged under NSA and sent to Jodhpur jail. After 170 days, Union govt withdrew his detention on March 14 this year and he was set free.
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He feared further action, saying: “They sent me to jail. Inquiries have been made against me. Only an encounter is left. I am ready for that. It is my last wish. Experts tell me that you will be subjected to an encounter. So be it. Let the country wake up, this is my hope.”A complete shutdown was observed in Leh on Thursday, designated as Martyr’s Day. Wangchuk accused authorities of stopping people from attending the rally, a claim denied by police.Police said Ladakh Buddhist Association had sought permission for a public meeting at Leh’s NDS stadium, which has a capacity of 10,000. The administration granted permission for a prayer meet from 10am to noon. Police reported a turnout of 800 at the event and denied allegations that they erected barricades to stop people from reaching the venue.
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