Land given to Wangchuk institute to be taken back

The Ladakh administration has cancelled the land allotment to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), founded by climate activist and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent face in the UT’s movement for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the region.

Wangchuk called the move a “witch-hunt” to suppress the demands of the people. The order has come a month after BJP leader Kavinder Gupta was appointed the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

Leh Deputy Commissioner Romil Singh Donk said (in his order dated August 21) that the land measuring 1,076 kanal and one marla (over 53.8 hectares) allotted to the HIAL on a 40-year lease “had not been used for its intended purpose”. “No university (as recognised by law) has been set up to date…. The land stands escheated to the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council and the Leh Tehsildar shall remove all the encumbrances from the site as per provisions of the law and effect entries in the revenue record accordingly," the order said.

On its website, the HIAL defines itself as a “collaborative effort between learners and facilitators, aiming to inspire the seekers of knowledge to explore both outside and within themselves”.

Following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two UTs in 2019, the Ladakh people have been protesting for statehood and the inclusion of Sixth Schedule. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and the Leh Apex Body (LAB) are spearheading the agitation. Wangchuk had even observed a 21-day fast last year, surviving only on salt and water.

Wangchuk and HIAL chief executive officer Gitanjali Angmo said the order was a “deliberate attempt to harass them”, and that they would approach the court.

Angmo said it wasn’t the first time the institute was being “targeted” as it began soon after Wangchuk started speaking up for the cause of Ladakh people. “They (authorities) backtracked earlier because we provided them proof,” she said, adding that the PSUs supporting the HIAL were being asked to stop funding.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey too called it “harassment tactics”. “Wangchuk is a very vocal and active member. He talks about the rights of Ladakh people at national and international forums… it’s a clear attempt to suppress his voice. But, we won’t be cowed down,” said Dorjey.

Prominent KDA leader Sajjad Kargili termed it as a “deplorable act of political vendetta aimed at silencing Ladakh’s dissenting voices”.