Ahead Of Sonam Wangchuk’s 'Pashmina March', Section 144 Imposed In Leh

Leh's District Magistrate on Friday issued an order imposing section 144 of CrPC 1973 to maintain peace in the area in view of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk proposed 'Pashmina March' on April 07.

District Magistrate Leh, Santosh Sukhdeva, issued a directive citing reliable information from the Senior Superintendent of Police. The order emphasized the urgent need to prevent any disruption of peace, disturbance to public tranquillity, and threats to human life, given the potential risks to the district's overall peace and safety.

In accordance with Section 144 of the CrPC, 1973, he invoked his authority to decree that no procession, rally, march, or similar event shall be conducted without prior written approval from the District Magistrate of Leh.

Meanwhile, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk slammed the order and said on X: "PEACEFUL LADAKH IS VERY CONFUSED! After 31 days of extremely peaceful prayers & fasts... Suddenly peace initiatives of the administration sounds more dangerous than anything ! PEACE AT ANY COST!! (sic)?,"

After ending his 21-day hunger strike, last month, the activist declared his intention to conduct a 'border march' on April 7 in the eastern part of the Union territory to shed light on ground realities, including alleged encroachments by China.

The march is slated to be a component of his campaign advocating for statehood for Ladakh. "We are followers of (Mahatma) Gandhi's Satyagraha. We are demanding the fulfilment of the promises made to us by this (BJP) government through its manifestos which led its candidates to win parliamentary polls (in 2019) and hill council polls in Leh (2020)," he emphasized.

The climate activist concluded his 21-day-long hunger strike in support of the demand for Ladakh's statehood and its incorporation into the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution on March 22.