Indian police on Friday detained prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk over violent protests in the Himalayan territory of Ladakh that left at least five people dead, a lawyer said.

Demonstrations demanding greater political autonomy for the sparsely populated, high-altitude region bordering China and Pakistan turned deadly on Wednesday when security forces opened fire.

New Delhi blamed the unrest on “provocative speeches” by Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding either full federal statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment.

Mustafa Haji, a lawyer for the Apex Body Leh — which is spearheading the protests — told AFP that Wangchuk was “picked up” by the police from his village of Uley Tokpo on Friday.

“Charges against him are not known yet,” Haji said.

An engineer by training, Wangchuk, 59, is best known for pioneering water conservation projects in the Himalayas.

He received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 for his environmental work and contributions to reforming local schooling in Ladakh.
His life and work are said to have inspired a character played by Bollywood star Aamir Khan in the hugely popular movie Three Idiots.

Wangchuk, who is a vocal advocate for Ladakh’s environmental protection and tribal rights, was briefly detained by Delhi Police last year during a protest march. Indian authorities on Thursday cancelled his non-profit organisation’s foreign funding licence.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said today that it is monitoring the situation.

“The developments that unfolded in Leh, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, are extremely disturbing,” the FO told Dawn.com. They demonstrate the Indian authorities’ willingness to go to any extent to curb a protest. They are also another manifestation of India’s iron-fisted approach in that occupied territory.“

Modi’s government split Ladakh off from occupied Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both.

New Delhi has yet to fulfil its promise to include Ladakh in the “Sixth Schedule” of India’s constitution, which allows people to make their own laws and policies.

India’s army maintains a large presence in Ladakh, which includes disputed border areas with China. Troops from the two countries clashed there in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

Additional reporting by Abdullah Momand