India – RSF: Release Sonam Wangchuk
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a statement published by the Revolutionary Students’ Front (RSF) on the arrest of the activist from Ladakh, Sonam Wangchuk.
On September 23, the Brahmanical Hindutva fascist RSS-led BJP government unleashed brutal repression against the ongoing movement in Ladakh. Four people were murdered and nearly 70 injured. According to reports, the bodies of the deceased are being subjected to police containment even during their last rites.
The movement has been ongoing for a long time, demanding the declaration of Ladakh as an independent full state under the Sixth Schedule [Translator’s note: this Schedule provides measures of autonomy and self-governance to the Scheduled Tribes of the northeastern States. The Ladakh movement demands to be included under this status] and ensuring the constitutional rights of its people. On the 26th, one of the key leaders of this movement, social activist Sonam Wangchuk, was arrested by the central government and held accountable in writing for the entire incident.
Such attacks on mass movements are not new. The RSS-BJP is waging war against the people in various parts of the country in the interest of imperialism, aided by the yellow journalism of the media. Until 2019, Article 370 of the Indian Constitution granted certain constitutional rights to the regions of Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh. Among thesse rights was the priority of the local population in accessing resources and employment. The RSS-BJP government of the center abolished Article 370 to hand over those rights to corporations. Jammu and Kashmir were split into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. It is worth noting that for a long time, the people of Ladakh have demanded to become a separate state. Sonam Wangchuk had also previously spoken in support of Ladakh having an own government. Today, the fascist BJP has turned him into an “anti-national” figure for opposing the government.
Although Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, it remains a Union Territory. This region, inhabited mostly by indigenous mountain population, has not been granted any constitutional recognition or facilities. The attempt to provide local employment is out of the question. Recently, there have been plans to construct a massive hydropower plant in Ladakh, likely placing ownership in the hands of large domestic and foreign capitalists, leading to a catastrophic disruption of Ladakh’s environmental balance.
Moreover, globally, imperialism and its colluding comprador bourgeoisie, along with feudal forces, are facing a severe crisis. To overcome this, they are determined to monopolize the markets of countries like India. Thus, these imperialists and their comprador bourgeoisie are unwilling to leave even a fraction of the centralized market in the hands of national bourgeoisie, local, or small capital. They are using the current state apparatus, controlled by their proxy government, to safeguard their profit interests. We see that all the resources of these regions in the country are handed over to a handful of big corporations with the government’s support. This is why coal from the mining regions of central India is sold at a lower price to Adani, while local factories are forced to buy that very coal at double or triple the price. The Ladakh movement is a legitimate expression of the anger of the national bourgeoisie, small capital owners, petty bourgeoisie, and the long-marginalized sections of those regions.
Anyone raising even minimal dissent against this conspiracy faces brutal repression. Recently, we saw how 25 books were banned in Kashmir simply for addressing the distorted history propagated by the RSS-BJP and questioning government policies. Alongside this, democratic and progressive political activists across the country are being detained, held without trial for extended periods, and even murdered in staged encounters, becoming a tool of the government’s schemes. We’ve seen in a similar manner that in central India’s forests, the fundamental rights of local indigenous people are being stripped away. There, strong movements have long been underway demanding Fifth Schedule [Translator’s note: provides autonomy to theScheduled Tribes] inclusion. They are also facing State attacks. Now the government is determined to suppress the movement of the people of Ladakh.
We, on behalf of the Revolutionary Students’ Front, condemn the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk by the fascist government and demand his immediate and unconditional release. The government must take responsibility for the dead and injured in the movement. The families of the deceased should receive adequate compensation, and the government must ensure medical treatment for the injured. We express full solidarity with the ongoing mass movement in Ladakh and demand recognition for Ladakh as an independent state under the Sixth Schedule. We urge every democratic, anti-fascist, progressive organization and individual across the country to come forward in support of the just movement of the people of Ladakh.
