Who Is Sonam Wangchuk? Innovator, Educator, Activist And The Voice Of Ladakh’s Protest Movement

Violence erupted in Leh on Wednesday after weeks of peaceful protest in Ladakh turned deadly. Protests by well-known engineer-turned-activist Sonam Wangchuk turned violent, resulting in four deaths and about 60 injuries and the torching of the BJP office and a CRPF vehicle. This led to authorities imposing a curfew in Leh and deploying additional police and paramilitary personnel.

The chaos is a significant escalation in the region’s long-standing demand for constitutional protection, a statehood, and Sixth Schedule coverage, which Mr. Wangchuk has been advocating for after Article 370 was repealed in 2019.

Unlike Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh did not have a legislature, which means it is under the direct rule of the central government, a turn of events that angered the locals and initiated years of protests.

Who is Sonam Wangchuk?

Born in 1966 in Uleytokpo village, Sonam Wangchuk is a person who is an engineer, teacher, inventor, and a nature lover, best known for being the inspiration for Aamir Khan’s role in the Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots. Deprived of an easy entry into formal schooling, Wangchuk floundered at school because of language and cultural differences. He later graduated in mechanical engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, funding himself after a dispute with his father. 

Wangchuk established the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) in 1988, an effort to redesign the education system in accordance with Ladakh’s culture, ecosystem, and specific challenges. His activities intermix innovation with sustainability most reputedly, his creation of the Ice Stupa, a cone-shaped artificial glacier that traps winter water and thaws during spring, offering much-needed irrigation in Ladakh’s desert environment. From Innovation to Activism From being a renowned innovator over the years, Wangchuk has transformed into a voice of opposition in Ladakh. Since 2019, he has waged a relentless campaign for safeguarding Ladakh’s delicate ecosystem and tribal culture. 

He has organised hunger strikes and rallied public opinion to insist that Ladakh be included under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which would bestow more autonomy on locals and save land, employment, and resources. Referencing recent violence, Wangchuk described it as an “outburst of the young generation… a Gen-Z revolution.”

Sonam Wangchuk: The face of protest

While he had been organising peaceful protests and hunger strikes, youth frustration apparently boiled over into clashes, creating a turning point for Ladakh’s movement. 

Yet, without an elected legislature, Ladakh remained under direct central rule, creating apprehensions of cultural annihilation, environmental degradation, and denial of indigenous rights. 

The protesters are calling for: Statehood for Ladakh Sixth Schedule safeguards to preserve tribal identity and territory Autonomy for local self-governance to control resources and development As tensions heighten, Sonam Wangchuk has become a figure of Ladakhi pride and defiance. From leading the way with ice stupas to leading hunger strikes, he inspires not just with his inventions but with his relentless struggle for the rights of his people.

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