‘Thriller fit for a movie’: Sonam Wangchuk on NSA arrest

SRINAGAR: Environmentalist and Leh Apex Body (LAB) member Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday likened his arrest to a “non-fiction thriller” that could be turned into a film but declared he was ready to move past his jail experience for a meaningful dialogue, as reflected in the Centre’s recent revocation of his detention under National Security Act (NSA).Three days after release from Jodhpur jail where he had been lodged following his arrest in Sept last year from Leh over violence during protests for Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule status, Wangchuk called for “constructive dialogue”. This, he said, could ensure a “win-win-win” situation not just for him but for Ladakh and the govt.Addressing a presser in Delhi alongside his lawyer Vivek Tankha, Wangchuk said the revocation of NSA, along with the Centre’s reference to a meaningful dialogue, reflected what he and the others had been striving for through prolonged protests.

He recalled that he had earlier walked from Leh to Delhi, undertook long hunger strikes and even went to jail for dialogue.

Wangchuk hoped Supreme Court, where his NSA detention was challenged, would still record a judgment despite the revocation so that it could guide future executive action, especially on use of such stringent laws.He stressed that public sentiment in Ladakh was for dialogue. “Even in yesterday’s (Monday’s) rallies (for statehood and Sixth Schedule), the demand was to resume talks.

Where do you find such a place and such people? Normally you find people leaving the dialogue table and picking up guns. Here are people appealing to the govt asking it to come to the discussion table.”Wangchuk expressed hope that he would return to Ladakh soon to consult leaders in LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and have “positive developments to share in the coming days”. “Talks are a give-and-take process, and both sides must be considerate and flexible,” Wangchuk said.