The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revoked the FCRA licence of Sonam Wangchuk’s non-profit, the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), citing repeated violations of India’s foreign funding laws for NGOs. The decision came a day after Leh witnessed violent protests over statehood demands, led and amplified by Wangchuk.
According to officials, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been scrutinising financial transactions of Sonam Wangchuk and his organisations for the past two months, though no preliminary enquiry or FIR has yet been registered. The controversy is not new — back in August, the Ladakh administration cancelled land allotment for Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning, another organisation run by him, claiming the property was neither used for its stated purpose nor backed by a formal lease agreement.
The MHA has also linked Wangchuk to the ongoing unrest, pointing out that he began an indefinite hunger strike on September 10 to demand statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the 6th Schedule.
It stressed that the Centre has been engaging with both the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, and highlighted progress through the High-Powered Committee (HPC), including raising reservations for Scheduled Tribes from 45% to 84%, granting one-third reservation for women in local councils, declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages, and approving 1,800 new jobs.
Despite these assurances, the ministry accused Wangchuk of provoking the youth by invoking “Arab Spring-style” uprisings and Nepal’s Gen-Z protests. The next HPC meeting is scheduled for October 6.
