Climate activist and Leh Apex Body leader Sonam Wangchuk, who has been embroiled in a controversy over his comparison of the situation in Chinese-occupied Tibet with that in Ladakh, responded to the criticism on Saturday.
Referring to the Leh violence on a social media platform, he wrote, “Some people have asked me if it is right to compare the brutal killings in Leh on September 24 last year with China’s repression in Tibet. I don’t blame them because they know what happened in Leh that day, as the internet was completely shut down for several weeks.”
Sonam Wangchuk said, “I understand the pain of my Tibetan friends and have always opposed China’s repression, but if you had seen what the people of Leh suffered that fateful day, you might not disagree. Although Ladakh has always been a prosperous part of India, last year was the worst.”
Four people brutally killed: Sonam Wangchuk
Referring to the violence in Leh, Sonam Wangchuk wrote, “In a small town of 20,000 people, four people were brutally murdered, one committed suicide, 80 were injured, and 75 were arrested on charges including attempted murder.”
“And all this was done without any firing orders, which is considered premeditated violence,” he added.
Referring to the protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, the environmentalist wrote that Parliament proceedings were stalled over the use of pellet guns and lathicharges during protests demanding Amit Shah’s resignation.
“Shouldn’t he resign for this? You can watch this clip of police brutality against people on a peaceful hunger strike. I leave the rest to the viewers to decide,” he wrote.
“I see that many of our Tibetan friends are upset by this comparison. First, I was only comparing a specific incident on a specific day, not the decades of suffering that Tibetans have endured. Second, I had no intention of hurting anyone, especially my dear Tibetan friends. I simply wanted to highlight the difficult situation Leh-Ladakh faced on that particular day… and if this has hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise,” Wangchuk said.
What did Sonam Wangchuk say?
Sonam Wangchuk stated in his speech in Leh on Thursday that the police had been misused during the Leh violence.
Wangchuk said that when Ladakh faced a choice between India and China, India was chosen because it offered hope for a democratic system and the right of citizens to live with dignity. He said the current situation in Ladakh was a matter of concern.
CTA lambasts Sonam Wangchuk
Meanwhile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has publicly criticised climate activist Sonam Wangchuk over remarks he made during a gathering in Ladakh, where he drew a comparison between the Indian government’s treatment of Ladakhis and the Chinese government’s treatment of Tibetans.
CTA spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay expressed deep concern over Wangchuk’s comments, describing the comparison as “misplaced and inaccurate”.
The criticism centred on Wangchuk’s assertion during a public address that “even the Chinese are not treating Tibetans the way the Indian government is treating Ladakhis”.
According to the CTA, such a comparison fails to accurately reflect the realities faced by Tibetans living under Chinese rule and risks undermining the severity of the situation in Tibet.