Sonam Wangchuk continues fast, police detain supporters wanting to join in
New Delhi, Oct 20: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk along with his supporters continued their fast for the 15th day on Sunday. Several others who wanted to join the group for a 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) were not allowed to assemble and were detained by the Delhi Police.
Heavy barricading was done around Delhi's Ladakh Bhawan where the activist is sitting on an indefinite fast.
Wangchuk, in a post on X, said it is a "maun vrat' and not a protest.
"Please understand. It's a moun vrat not a protest call," Wangchuk said in his post.
"It's sad to see that our call for a silent fast or Moun Vrat this Sunday has been presented as a Protest Call by some elements. Please understand we are calling for a peaceful upvaas in support of our own future," he said.
"On this eco-upvaas please abstain not only from food but also from mindless consumerism. Please use minimum electricity, water, machines, plastic etc," he added.
The activist had called upon people to observe a day long fast on Sunday, where they give up on consumerism to save the environment.
Wangchuk also urged people in Delhi to join him at Ladakh Bhawan on Sunday for a 'maun vrat' for saving Himalayas and the environment.
Around 25 people from Ladakh have been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Ladakh Bhawan since October 6, demanding a meeting with top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to discuss their demands.
Wangchuk with his supporters marched to Delhi from Leh demanding the inclusion of Ladakh in the sixth schedule Constitution, which he said would enable locals to participate in decision-making and conserving the environment in the eco-sensitive Ladakh.
They were detained at the national capital's Singhu border on September 30 by Delhi Police and released on the night of October 2.
The sixth schedule of the Constitution includes provisions for the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram in northeast India. It establishes autonomous councils that have legislative, judicial, executive and financial powers to independently govern these areas.
The protesters are also demanding statehood, a public service commission for Ladakh and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
The march to Delhi was organised by the Leh Apex Body, which along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance, has been spearheading the agitation.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND
— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) October 20, 2024
IT'S A MOUN VRAT NOT A PROTEST CALL
It's sad to see that our call for a silent fast or Moun Vrat this Sunday has been presented as a Protest Call by some elements. Please understand we are calling for a peaceful upvaas in support of our own future...…
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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