New Delhi. Well-known social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who reached Delhi on foot from Ladakh with several demands including granting statehood to Ladakh, has not been given permission to fast at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police did not allow them to do this. Earlier, he and his companions were taken into custody when they reached Delhi border on 30 September. After being kept in custody for several hours, he was allowed to go to Rajghat, the mausoleum of Mahatma Gandhi, on October 2.
After being denied permission to fast at Jantar Mantar, Sonam Wangchuk said in a post on social media platform Finally this morning we received this rejection letter for the officially designated venue for the protest. He wrote- We wanted to fast peacefully at a formal place. But no such place has been given to us for the last two-three days. We have been detained in Ladakh Bhawan. We are fasting from here.
Sonam Wangchuk further wrote- Hundreds of our people have come from Leh to Delhi. These include women, ex-servicemen and people above 75 years of age. We all will sit on an indefinite fast at Ladakh Bhawan. Wangchuk and the group of around 150 people accompanying him are demanding to make Ladakh a full state, reservation in jobs for the local people, one parliamentary seat each for Leh and Kargil and implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. He reached Delhi on the night of 30 September after a 30-day journey on foot.
He has said- We had broken our fast at Rajghat. Informal discussions took place during the meeting with top leaders. We were promised a meeting but no date was received. He said that hence we were forced to repeat our fast which we had broken at Rajghat. We have not been given time to meet PM Modi, Home Minister Shah or the President.