Around 150 individuals from Ladakh, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had marched to the national capital demanding Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory, have been detained by Delhi Police at the city's border, according to police sources.
According to Delhi Police sources, the detained people, including Wangchuk, will be taken to different police stations along the city border.
I AM BEING DETAINED… along with 150 padyatris at Delhi Border, by a police force of 100s some say 1,000. Many elderly men & women in their 80s and few dozen Army veterans… Our fate is unknown. We were on a most peaceful march to Bapu’s Samadhi… in the largest democracy… pic.twitter.com/iPZOJE5uuM
— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) September 30, 2024
Women participating in the march were not detained, the source said, adding that the detentions were done in view of prohibitory orders banning gatherings of five or more persons in north and central Delhi, PTI reported.
Wangchuk, in a post on Instagram shortly before being detained, shared visuals from the Delhi border, where amid huge police presence their buses were stopped.
The climate activist could be seen interacting with police officials in the video.
In his post, Wangchuk said several vehicles of Delhi Police and Haryana Police were accompanying their buses and while they initially thought they were being escorted, as they approached the national capital, it was clear they were going to be detained.
"As we are approaching Delhi, it appears we are not being escorted, we are being detained," Wangchuk told PTI. He further said around 1,000 police personnel have been deployed at the Delhi border and they have been informed that heavy deployment of security forces has been done at the Ladakh Bhawan in Delhi, and in areas where students from Ladakh reside.
"It appears they don't want to allow this padyatra to take place," he told PTI.
The 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra' was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), are jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of statehood, extension of the Constitution's sixth schedule, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
Delhi Police on Monday banned the gathering of five or more persons, people carrying banners, placards arms and or protests in the central part and bordering areas for the next six days in the national capital, citing law and order issues, including calls of protests given by several organisations.
According to an order issued from the Delhi Police Headquarters, Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora has directed to impose the section 163 (which was earlier section 144 of CrPC) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in the districts of New Delhi, North and Central and all police stations jurisdiction sharing the borders with other states.
The prohibitory order will remain effective till October 5.
(With inputs from PTI)