The administration in Ladakh has cancelled the allotment of a plot of land to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in Phyang village, Leh, for his institute, The Hindu reported on Saturday. The land was allotted to him in 2018.

Wangchuk described the move as a “witch-hunt” to suppress the demands of residents in the region, The Tribune reported.

The activist has been at the forefront of protests demanding statehood for Ladakh, its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and job reservations for locals.

The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 (Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas) of the Constitution guarantees certain protections for land and a nominal autonomy for citizens in designated tribal areas. In Ladakh, more than 97% of the population belongs to Scheduled Tribes.

On Thursday, Leh Deputy Commissioner Romil Singh Donk issued an order stating that land measuring about 1,076 kanal and 1 marla, or around 135 acres, allotted to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning “stands escheated to the state”.

Wangchuk is one of the founding directors of the institute.

The order said the 40-year lease granted in 2018 had lapsed in May 2019, as the institute did not execute the required deed, set up the proposed university or complete a formal handover of the land, The Hindu reported.

It also directed the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council and the tehsildar to remove all claims from the land and update the revenue record, PTI reported.

Responding to the order, Wangchuk told reporters that the move was an “attack” on Ladakh as well as on the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, The Times of India reported.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance were formed in 2020 to represent political and religious groups from Leh and Kargil. Both organisations have been demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.

Wangchuk said that the land had been allotted in 2018 with the unanimous consent of regional leaders. “It is a charitable company, not my personal university,” he said.

He added that around 400 students have graduated from the institute, The Times of India reported.

The climate activist had recently joined a three-day hunger strike in Kargil to demand constitutional safeguards for the region.

On October 6, Wangchuk had begun an indefinite fast to draw attention to his demands to protect Ladakh but ended it on October 21 after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs assured him that talks would be resumed with representatives from the Union Territory.

Wangchuk had also undertaken a 21-day hunger strike ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in March 2024 demanding statehood for Ladakh and the protection of the Himalayan ecology.

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