The US State Department on Tuesday (local time) overlooked a Pakistani journalist’s question on the survey at BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai by Indian tax authorities.
When ARY’s reporter in Washington Jahanzaib Ali asked about “any thoughts and concern” over the survey, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “We are aware of the search of BBC offices in Delhi by Indian tax authorities.” The reporter further questioned to get the US State Department’s reaction but Ned Price refused to wade into the controversy or comment on the matter.
Notably, Pakistani journalist Ali, cited the BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and said he “regretted” that no US official had criticized it, while the US State Department highlighted the close relationship between the two countries, especially over shared values.
“What I will say broadly is that there are a number of elements that undergird the global strategic partnership that we have with our Indian partners. There are close political ties, there are economic ties, and there are exceptionally deep people-to-people ties between the United States and India. But one of those additional elements are the values that we share, the values that are common to American democracy and to Indian democracy,” Price said during regular press briefing.
“I am very familiar with the shared values that connect the United States and India as two thriving, vibrant democracies. When we have concerns about actions that are taken in India, we have voiced those. We have had an occasion to do that. But we want first and foremost to reinforce those values that are at the heart of our relationship,” he added.
Price stated that India is the world’s largest democracy, and also a vibrant one. “We look to everything that ties us together, and we look to reinforce all of those elements that tie us together.”
However, Price laid stress on the importance of a free press around the world and asked the reporter to refer to Indian authorities for the details of this search.
“Beyond this discrete action, what I’ll say more broadly is the general point that I’ve consistently made in this context, but in the universal context text as well. We support the importance of a free press around the world. We continue to highlight the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief as human rights that contribute to strengthening democracies around the world. It has strengthened this democracy here in this country. It has strengthened India’s democracy. These universal rights are the bedrock of democracies around the world,” said Price.
Earlier, Income tax officials arrived at BBC offices located at the national capital’s KG Marg for the survey. The British broadcaster’s office at Kalina Santacruz in Mumbai was also surveyed, sources said adding that the survey was limited to the business premises of BBC only.
According to reports, a team of IT officials arrived at the BBC Studios office in Kalina Santacruz around 11.30 am today and a survey has been going on since then. There is no IT activity at the BBC News office at Linking road Bandra West. It is learned that the tax officials are conducting verification of certain account documents in the finance department of the BBC offices.
During the investigation, the mobile phones of all the employees present in the BBC office have been taken away by the Income Tax team. The data of the computer kept in the accounts and finance department was also scanned. According to sources, officials said the devices will be returned to their owners after taking a backup.
The searches come weeks after the BBC released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi – ‘India: The Modi Question,” which caused controversy on January 21, the Centre had issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi. The Supreme Court had on February 3 directed the central government to produce original records relating to its decision to block the BBC documentary.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel has made a controversial statement about 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. He said that the staunch followers of Tipu Sultan should not live, and he said that the descendants of Tipu Sultan should be sent to the forests. Kateel said this while addressing BJP supporters at Yelaburga in Koppal district on Wednesday, February 15.
Nalin Kumar Kateel said, “We are devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. We pray and bow to Lord Hanuman and we are not descendants of Tipu. Let’s send Tipu’s descendants back home.”
He said, “I ask people here whether you worship Lord Hanuman or Tipu. Then will you send those who are staunch followers of Tipu to the jungle? I am issuing a challenge – those who are staunch followers of Tipu should not survive on this fertile land.”
Medieval Islamist tyrant Tipu sultan forcefully converted thousands of Hindus to Islam. The previous Siddaramaiah government had celebrated Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary for two consecutive years. The BJP has been constantly raising questions about this.
Nalin Kumar Kateel also criticized former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, referring to him as a “broker” who had earlier struck arrangements with the JDS and now with the Congress to become the CM face in the next assembly elections. He said that if Congress returns to power in the state, it will convert Karnataka into a Congress ATM.
About Siddaramaiah, Nalin Kumar Kateel said, “He calls me a joker, I call him a broker. In this country, it’s okay if someone becomes a joker but it’s difficult if one becomes a villain, they’ll abduct anyone they want. All their stories are about abduction. He brokered and stayed in the Congress, he brokered and stayed in the JDS and once again brokered and became a chief minister.”
The Tipu Sultan versus Hanuman debate gained momentum when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a statement on the matter ahead of the 2018 assembly elections in the state. Yogi Adityanath had said that “Karnataka is the land of Hanuman, which was once ruled by the Vijayanagara Empire. It is unfortunate that congress is worshipping Tipu Sultan instead of worshipping Hanuman and Vijayanagar, if Congress loses then no one will come to worship Tipu.”
Earlier, in a statement, Kateel had said that this time the assembly elections will be fought on the issue of Tipu vs Savarkar. He had said that the Congress celebrated Tipu’s birth anniversary, which was not needed, and insulted Savarkar. The Karnataka assembly elections are likely to be held in April-May this year.
On 15th February 2023, the Kerala High Court said that the administration can’t meddle with the customs, rituals and practices of the temples. Responding to writ petitions filed against a ban imposed on saffron decoration for the Kaliyoottu festival at Vellayani Bhadrakali Devi Temple by the police, the High Court said that the Travancore Devaswom Board has the right to decide on conducting the festival and that the festival has to be conducted in accordance with the custom, rituals and practices of that temple.
The court stated that no district administration or the police can insist that only ‘politically neutral’ coloured decorative materials should be used by a temple. The court also observed that similarly, no devotee has a legal right to insist that saffron-coloured decorative materials alone should be used for festivals, and it is the decision of the organisers.
Two writ petitions were filed in the court challenging the orders of the district magistrate and police directing the Vellayani Bhadrakali Devi Temple temple management to not use only saffron-coloured decorations for the Kaliyoottu festival. One petition was filed by the temple advisory committee, and the other was filed by a devotee.
The writ petitions were considered and disposed of by a division bench composed of Anil K. Narendran, and PG Ajithkumar. The court said, “Politics has no role to play in the conduct of daily worship and ceremonies and festivals in temples. A worshipper or a devotee has no legal right to insist that saffron/orange coloured decorative materials alone are used for festivals in a temple under the management of the Travancore Devaswom Board.”
The bench further said, “Similarly, the district administration or the police cannot insist that only ‘politically neutral’ coloured decorative materials be used for temple festivals. The district administration or the police cannot meddle with the power of the Travancore Devaswom Board in conducting the Kaliyoottu festival in accordance with the customs, rituals, and practices of that temple.”
The court also stated in its order that if there is any suspicion of an untoward incident on the temple grounds or in the vicinity of the temple that may jeopardize the law and order situation and the smooth conduct of the festival, it will be up to the Travancore Devaswom Board to take the matter up with the police authorities. The court said, “In such a case where the board approaches police, appropriate steps shall be taken by the police authorities.”
In an incident targeting Hindu temples in Communist-ruled Kerala, the Vellayani Bhadrakali temple was asked by the police to not use saffron decoration during the Kaliyoottu festival. Recently, police visited the Vellayani Bhadrakali temple located on the southern outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and instructed the temple authorities to avoid saffron-coloured buntings, flags and other fabric on the premises for the upcoming Kaliyoottu Mahotsavam.
According to the police, the temple should use fabrics, flags, and buntings of all colours, not just saffron, even though traditionally the temple is decorated with saffron during the festival. The police took the action after receiving a complaint against the use of saffron decoration and said that saffron should be avoided as it can lead to law and order problems. However, the temple management refused to took down the saffron buntings. As a mark of protest, several Hindu women wore traditional saree coupled with saffron blouses and suits with saffron dupattas, and the devotees set up a police post in front of the temple using saffron fabric.
To track down the stolen shoes of a 20-year-old girl, the daughter of a senior railway official, the Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF), and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) reportedly joined forces. An investigation that lasted more than a month eventually found the woman who had got down from the Lucknow Mail at Bareilly wearing the girl’s shoes.
“We checked the January 4 CCTV footage of the entry and exit gates of Bareilly station but did not find any trace of the woman. We then sought help from the IRCTC officials to provide us with reservation details of the passengers of the AC first-class coach. It worked, and we zeroed in on the suspect,” Deputy SP (Bareilly GRP) Devi Dayal said.
The shoes valued at Rs. 10,000, which were allegedly taken from the train’s first-class AC compartment, were successfully located by the investigation team. The authorities also determined that they were not stolen but were accidentally taken by a fellow traveller in a haste to deboard the train.
“The woman told us she mistakenly wore the shoes when she got down at Bareilly station at around 3.45 am on January 4. She was in the same AC coach compartment in which the daughter of Vineet Singh, the Divisional Railway Manager at Odisha, was travelling along with her mother. She has accepted her mistake,” the GRP official stated, adding that the action will be taken as per the law.
The GRP (Bareilly) informed that on January 5, Divisional Railway Manager (East Coast Railway Zone) Vineet Singh reported a theft at Sambhalpur, Odisha, on behalf of her daughter, alleging that on January 4, her shoes, valued at Rs. 10,000, were taken from the AC first-class coach of the Lucknow Mail.
The complainant expressed suspicion about a female passenger who disembarked at Bareilly. The complaint claimed that the woman left her worn-out, pink-coloured shoes behind.
“Since the daughter of the senior railway official suspected that the woman who got down from the train at Bareilly junction could have taken her shoes, the complaint was transferred to us by the third week of January,” said Ajit Pratap Singh, in-charge of the GRP at Bareilly railway station.”
The train arrived at UP’s Bareilly station at 3 in the morning on the day of the incident, January 4, Wednesday. The investigators made an effort to find the female passenger who had descended at Bareilly.
They located the woman by looking through the train’s reservation chart. According to the reports, they discovered that the woman works as a doctor in Delhi.
It was unequivocally established that it was a true case of an accident after the officers called and spoke with the doctor. As the train approached her destination, the woman was dozing off. However, she woke up as the train halted in Bareilly. The doctor stepped off the train wearing the wrong shoes because of the dimmed lights. The officers started the process to send the shoes back to their senior’s daughter as soon as the doctor returned them.
On 15th February 2023, a registered trust called Hindu Front for Justice intervened in a case in Supreme Court where a petitioner named Qurban Ali is asking the court to get involved regarding “hate speeches” by Hindu groups. The petition by Ali cited speeches made on December 17, 2021, in Haridwar at a gathering organized by Yati Narsinghanand, and on December 19, 2021, in Delhi at a gathering organized by an organization named “Hindu Yuva Vahini,” including others.
According to the appeal filed by attorneys Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain for Hindu Front, Muslim crowds marched in processions while shouting “Sar Tan se Juda” several times. Subsequently, several beheading cases have occurred around the nation. The petition also mentions that “a movement to convert to convert Hindus is going on in the whole of India by Muslims and Christian missionaries”.
Additionally, the application listed a few occasions in which stand-up comedians had openly made vulgar and derogatory remarks against Hindu deities and faith. It made reference to Munawar Faruqui’s most recent offensive video of Lord Ram and Mata Sita in which he uses obscene words. Instances when “hate statements” have led to “real crimes” were also mentioned in the plea. It listed particular incidents of Muslim hate crimes committed against Hindus.
The petition read, “The hate crimes being committed by Muslims against Hindus are rapidly growing but the police are very slow in taking action against the culprits due to political reasons and/or fear of Muslim ‘mobocracy’. However, in some very compelling circumstances, the Police registered FIR. Still, no effective action was taken to curb the ongoing hatred against Hindus prevalent in a section of Muslims.”
Furthermore, the application asserted that Christian missionaries are active throughout India, preying mostly on SC/ST Hindus and unethically converting people to Christianity due to poverty and allurement.
It said, “It is not out of place to mention that in Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, state of Odisha, and other places in India the Christian missionaries are trying to convert the innocent Hindus taking advantage of the situation.”
It is notable that a bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana issued a notice in the Public Interest Litigation requesting the Supreme Court to intervene in allegedly hateful speeches made in Haridwar and Delhi, expressing its concern over other related matters and intervention applications being filed with regard to the same issue.
Congress Leader Jaya Thakur has petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting that the Adani Group be prosecuted and put into question the decision of the State Bank of India (SBI) and the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to invest in Adani shares at allegedly inflated prices. On 15th February 2023, the Supreme Court today granted Thakur’s request for an inquiry against Adani Group based on charges made by the US-based Hindenburg Research.
Jaya Thakur, who is the General Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress, moved the plea through advocate Varinder Kumar Sharma on Tuesday, and it was mentioned before the CJI on Wednesday.
The petitioner has urged the Supreme Court seeking to set up an investigation against the Adani Group and its associates alleging that they have swindled lakhs of crores of public money and money of the government exchequer. The petition sought the investigation by various investigating agencies CBI, ED, DRI, CBDT, EIB, NCB, SEBI, RBI, SFIO under the supervision and monitoring of a sitting judge of the top Court.
The petition further said that the Hindenburg Research report has put serious question marks on Adani. Further, the finding of the Hindenburg report indicates that the Adani group of companies has inflated the share price of their various companies, and by using the inflated price they have obtained loans worth Rs.82,000 crores from various public and private sector banks. The plea also alleged the company and their associates have set up various offshore shell companies at various tax havens such as Mauritius, Sypris, UAE, Singapore and the Caribbean Islands to transfer money through hawala routes, and did money laundering.
Jaya Thakur further alleged in the petition that “despite glaring and serious violations of the SEBI Act, 1992, neither the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) nor the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken any action or initiated any investigation against the Adani Group.”
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud accepted to hear the plea, and grouped it with other similar petitions demanding a probe into the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani group and scheduled a hearing on February 17. The two other petitions in the matter are filed by advocates Manohar Lal Sharma and Vishal Tiwari.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has expressed his reservations to the Supreme Court about forming an expert committee to investigate the Hindenburg Report. He argued in his submission before the Supreme Court, “Existing agencies are fully equipped. However, in responding to your lordship’s suggestions, we have no objection to constituting a committee. The only thing is, we don’t want to send a message that a government agency needs to be overseen by a committee.”
On Friday, 10th February 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to give a comprehensive report on the issue. The bench, which also included Justices Narasimha and Pardiwala, thus directed that the report include information such as the existing regulatory framework, important causative variables, the need for effective market regulation systems, and so on.
The bench led by CJI Chandrachud recently decided to hear a petition that also requested that a committee overseen by a retired top court judge analyze the Hindenburg Research study. The Supreme Court also heard Advocate ML Sharma’s case, which seeks to make short-selling’ a criminal offence. The claimed petition requests an inquiry into Nathan Anderson, the inventor of Hindenburg, “for exploiting innocent Investors by short selling under the pretence of a fake crash”.
On January 24, a US-based investment research firm called Hindenburg Research released a report titled ‘Adani Group: How The World’s Third Richest Man Is Pulling The Largest Con In Corporate History,’ accusing the enterprise of engaging in a ‘brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.’
The disclosure triggered a stock market crash, wiping off over $100 billion from Adani’s business and driving him down the global billionaire list. Furthermore, the revelation came two days before Adani Enterprises’ $2.5 billion follow-up public offering.
On Monday, February 13, a 19-year-old girl from Gujarat’s Surat district filed a police complaint against a 30-year-old businessman after it was found that he was stalking her using GPS. The man had installed a GPS tracking device on the college student’s scooter and was following her whenever goes with the help of the tracker. In her complaint lodged at Katargam police station, the teen accused identified as Nikunj Patel of harassing her.
On the basis of the girl’s complaint, the accused who is a sand businessman, has been booked by the police. The girl has claimed that accused Nikunj was harassing her since July last year.
The complainant who is a student of Bachelor of Commerce at a city college informed the police that she had met the accused on Instagram, where they had interacted and grown close. The accused, on the other hand, desired to advance their friendship and start a relationship. But the girl turned down his proposal as she was not looking for a relationship as they both belonged to different castes. The spurned lover then decided to stalk the girl, and to do so, he installed a GPS tracking device in her scooter and started keeping tabs on her whereabouts.
The accused used to call her multiple times a day and would reach wherever she went. After finding all this suspicious, the girl informed her family members who then reported the matter to the police. Reportedly, the accused also used to visit her home to threaten and manhandle her family members including the victim’s grandparents.
Following the complaint, the police initiated an investigation and found out that a GPS tracking device was installed in the two-wheeler’s battery, and a SIM card was also recovered. However, a TOI report states that the GPS device was noticed accidentally when the complainant sent her scooter for servicing at an automobile servicing centre.
Speaking on the matter, SP LB Jhala, the police have arrested the accused who harassed the girl by installing a GPS system in her scooter and have filed a case of harassment against him. The police said that the accused wanted to know if the girl was in a relationship with any other person or not.
The girl’s father passed a few years ago and her mother is a diamond artisan.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday gave its approval to raise seven additional Battalions of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)– a move which will increase the strength of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to more than 10 per cent, top government sources said. Besides raising seven additional Battalions, the CCS has also given approval to the set-up of one Sector Headquarter of ITBP for manning the 47 new Border Out Posts (BOPs) and 12 staging camps.
“The CCS took the decision in view of its January 2020 decision when it had approved establishments of 47 new Border Out Posts and 12 staging camps keeping in view the need for more effective border surveillance,” a government source, privy to the development, told ANI.
As the construction of these new BOPs and staging camps is in progress, these will require additional manpower for which it has been decided to raise seven new Battalions, said the source.
Along with this, the sources said, an additional Sector Headquarters will also be established for the supervision of these seven Battalions.
It is learnt that these additional seven Battalions will be raised for Arunachal Pradesh and that raising of these seven additional Battalions and the Sector Headquarter will be completed by 2025-26, said the source.
“A total of 9,400 posts will be created for these seven Battalions and the new Sector Headquarter,” another source said.
ITBPs current sanctioned strength is 88,430. With this move, the total strength of the ITPB will be 97,830.
The main role of ITBP is to guard the Indo-China border. For this, 176 BOPs of ITBP have been established at present.
For this, the sources said, non-expenditure of 1808.15 crores is estimated on the construction of office and residential buildings, land acquisition and purchase of arms and ammunition.
“And there will be a recurring expenditure of 963.68 crores per year on salaries, ration etc. of the personnel,” the source added.
For three days, from February 17 to 19, people will be allowed to visit the Taj Mahal for free to commemorate the 368th Urs or death anniversary of Mughal king Shah Jahan. The tombs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan will also be opened for pilgrims and tourists during the celebration at the monument in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
On the three-day Urs (death anniversary), rites like “chadar poshi,” “sandal,” “gusul,” and “kul” will be performed. On February 17, the ‘Ghusl’ ceremony—a full-body cleaning process required before engaging in different rites and prayers—will begin at 2 pm.
The ceremonies for “Sandal” and “Milad Sharif” will be held on February 18. The rites of “Kul” (reciting the Quran’s four foundational chapters) and “chadar poshi” (offering a long cloth or cover) will be performed on February 19 from morning to evening. Following the chadar poshi with a multicolour chadar measuring 1450 metres at the tomb of Shah Jahan, a Langar also will also be served.
For Indian nationals and holders of OCI cards, the entrance fee to the Taj Mahal is Rs. 50 on regular days. Citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC nations must pay a levy of Rs 540. The entrance fee for foreign nationals is Rs. 1100. In addition to the entrance fee, each visitor must pay Rs 200 to see the main mausoleum inside the monument. However, regardless of nationality, there is no entry price for minors under the age of 15.
Shah Jahan and the ‘symbol of love’
Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor who ruled from January 1628 to July 1658, was the third son of the fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir. Taj Mahal is often dubbed as the monument or symbol of love, however, there are certain facts that need to be brought to notice before making such claims.
As per the information available on Wikipedia, Despite the fact that Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan had a love affair during the time between their engagement when she was 14 years old and married when she turned 19, Shah Jahan married his first wife, Princess Kandahari Begum, in 1609, and after his marriage to Mumtaz, in 1617, he took a third wife, Izz-un-Nissa Begum. Shah Jahan also adhered to the unsettling Mughal custom of never leaving their wives alone, not even during war expeditions. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz had fourteen children—eight sons and six daughters—seven of whom passed away at birth or when they were very young. After a 30-hour prolonged labour, Mumtaz Mahal passed away while giving birth to her fourteenth child. Besides, several historical accounts suggest that Shah Jahan also had thousands of women as sex slaves in his Harem.
In his book Histoire de la dernière révolution des états du Grand Mogol, which was translated into English in 1670-71 as Travels In The Mogul Empire, French historian and traveller Francois Bernier wrote that Shah Jahan was passionately in love with his daughter Jahanara.
“His attachment with his daughter reached a point which it is difficult to believe, the justification of which he rested on the decision of Mullahs or doctors of their law. According to them, (Mullahs) it would be unjust to deny the privilege of gathering the fruit of the tree which he himself planted,” as mentioned in the chapter The History of the Last of the Great Rebellions of the Great Mogul.
Excerpt from Travels In The Mogul Empire
The book also documents the incident wherein princess Jahanara was often ‘visited’ by a low-ranking officer, and after knowing about this, “Shah Jahan entered her apartments at an unusual and unexpected hour.” It is further mentioned that the youth who was hiding inside a bathing cauldron in Jahanara’s apartment was burnt alive by the eunuchs on the orders of Shah Jahan.
Excerpt from Travels In The Mogul EmpireExcerpt from Travels In The Mogul Empire
Apparently, the Taj Mahal is nothing more than a narcissistic and self-indulgent memory of Shah Jahan’s second and most favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died at the age of Forty, having birthed Eight Sons and Six Daughters to the Emperor.
Ladakh’s celebrated educator and innovator, Sonam Wangchuk, who attained fame after the release of the Bollywood movie named 3 Idiots, is in news for the past few days. The engineer-turned-education reformer staged a ‘climate fast’ late in January to protest against the destruction of the ecology in the region. He is demanding constitutional protection of the fragile ecology of the region, known as the third pole of the earth.
Wangchuk staged a five-day protest at the education institute founded by him named Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), and he also claimed that he was confined to house arrest by the Ladakh Police at the Institute. The saga began when Wangchuk on January 26 announced that he would stage a one-day protest at Khardung La, one of the highest mountain passes in Asia, to demand the inclusion of the region in the sixth schedule of the constitution.
However, the local administration asked him to conduct the protest on January 26 at his university, as it was too cold in the mountains. “I received a letter that day which said that the government was concerned about the safety of a ‘celebrated’ person like me. It added that there is severe cold at Khardung La and that there are wild animals that can cause harm to my life. The government asked me to stage a protest at HIAL, which is far away from Leh. And now I am under house arrest,” Sonam Wangchuk said in a video that he released amid a protest on January 26.
Police have denied Wangchuk’s claim that he was placed under house arrest. Police said that he was only prevented from holding the fast atop Khardung La, and there was no other restriction on him.
Denied permission to hold the protest at Khardung La, Wangchuk held the five-day protest at his institution, where he was joined by several others. However, Wangchuk and many others still remained outside, despite the harsh winter, as a part of their protest. The protest ended on January 30.
Amid the protests, Sonam Wangchuk released an 18-minute long video on his YouTube channel and claimed that he was house arrested by the local administration. He said that the Lt Governor and the BJP government were restricting his activities under the guise of protecting him and safeguarding him.
“When the protest was scheduled at Khardung La, they (govt) asked me to skip the mountain pass location for the protest and asked me to conduct the protest at HIAL, which is far away from Leh. They also have restricted my movement and I am not allowed to leave HIAL. The massive Police force has been deployed outside HIAL to control me and my movement. I am not allowed to move from here,” he could be heard saying in the video.
Wangchuk also alleged that the government had asked him to sign a bond asking him to stop saying anything against the government activities in Leh and that he was not allowed to deliver speeches or statements. “One of the deployed police officers handed me the bond and asked me to sign. On refusal, he said that I would be detained. These people have also detained three young teachers working at my school and are now blackmailing me to act according to them for the youngsters’ release,” he added in the video on January 27.
SAD TO SEE LADAKH UT HAS BECOME AN ANDHER NAGRI… a banana republic..sorry a banana UT. Thanks to social media, I got in touch with experienced legal expert/journalist @mohsinahmaddar and here is his take on the bond while citing precedences. A MUST READ@AmitShah@narendramodipic.twitter.com/k9cTURsE7W
He further said that the government was arresting people and journalists who have been demanding the inclusion of Ladakh in the sixth schedule. “The government in the election manifesto had said that it would include the region in the sixth schedule. So then why are people getting arrested now when they are demanding the same,” he said.
According to Wangchuk, the people of Ladakh are facing natural threats and they hoped that the government would help them safeguard the region after the abrogation of Article 370. “Ladakh was declared a Union Territory. We were delighted but also concerned because becoming a Union Territory without safeguards would keep Ladakh open to industrial and mining exploitation, harming our ecology and glaciers. We hoped the Centre would provide us with safeguards, if not from Article 370, then from the Sixth Schedule. But nothing is happening,” he claimed.
Wangchuk also alleged that the BJP-led administration and the former Lieutenant Governor Radha Krishna Mathur ignored Ladakh after it was stripped from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and was made a separate Union Territory. While Sonam Wangchuk had praised the abolition of Article 370, he now says that Ladakh was in a better position when it was part of Jammu and Kashmir. He also alleged that the government was sowing the seeds of militancy in the union territory of Ladakh.
People protesting across Ladakh with Wangchuk (Image source- Sonam Wangchuk YT)
Sonam Wangchuk’s demand for the inclusion of Ladakh in sixth schedule
Several civil society leaders in Ladakh are demanding that the UT be included in the sixth schedule of the Article 244 of the Indian Constitution which ensures the overall socio-economic development of the region which houses a predominantly tribal population. Since the special status of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was removed by Parliament in 2019, civil society organizations in Ladakh have been calling for the protection of land, resources, and jobs.
The local leaders are also demanding that Ladakh can’t be kept under the central government’s rule forever, and it must be given the status of a state. Sonam Wangchuk has also demanded the inclusion of the region under the sixth schedule, but for one specific reason, to protect the ecology of the region.
He stated that he was concerned about Ladakh’s climate, environment, and overall ecology there. “I have been concerned about Ladakh’s ecology, mountains, and glaciers for 30 years. People here are facing the heat of the lifestyle that is being lived by people in huge cities like London, New York, Paris, Beijing, and New Delhi. We have become climate victims by having to cope with emissions emanating from all these places,” said Wangchuk in an exclusive interview with News Click.
Sonam Wangchuk is opposing the migration of people from other states to Ladakh, setting up of industries, and private sector enterprises purchasing land, saying that it will destroy the ecology of Ladakh. Our landscape cannot handle more people and increasing industrial activity. Already, we face a huge water shortage. What will happen if industries move here in large numbers? Very soon, not only Ladakhis, people in the rest of the subcontinent will face climate-related problems,” he added.
Wangchuk claimed that he conducted the protest to grab the attention of the Central Government to the local Ladakhi problems. He claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Miniter Narendra Modi were unaware of the local problems on the ground and that he was attempting to showcase the same to the authorities. However, the he further said that he would protest for a longer time in February if his demands are not met or considered.
What the law says about the sixth schedule
The creation of independent administrative divisions, known as Autonomous District Councils (ADCs), with some degree of judicial, legislative, and administrative autonomy inside a state is permitted by the Sixth Schedule of Article 244. At present, the four northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram have specific provisions in the Sixth Schedule for the management of tribal territories.
The local Ladakhi civilians are pressing that the population of Ladakh contains 97 percent of the tribals and that the imposition of a sixth schedule in the UT is necessary. Also the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, in September 2019 had recommended the inclusion of Ladakh under the sixth schedule, noting that the new UT was predominantly tribal, people from other parts of the country had been barred from dealing in land there, and its distinct cultural heritage needed preservation.
However, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule would be difficult. “The Constitution is very clear, Sixth Schedule is for the Northeast. For tribal areas in the rest of the country, there is the Fifth Schedule,” the MHA had said.
Notably, the regions included in the sixth schedule are Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram which are in the Northeastern part of the country. The other northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are also not included in the sixth schedule though they house a maximum of tribal sects.
The title of the schedule is Provisions as to the Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, making it clear that it is specific to only four states. Inclusion of any other state will require amendment of the constitution.
Sonam Wangchuk had hailed the formation of UT in 2019
Earlier in the year 2019, Wangchuk had hailed the BJP-led government for removing the special status from the former state of Jammu and Kashmir and dividing it into two Union Territories including Ladakh. He later had thanked Tribal Minister Arjun Munda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for considering to declare the Union Territory of Ladakh as a protected area under Schedule VI of the constitution. “It seems Indian Democracy works,” he had tweeted back then lauding the BJP-ruled centre.
IT SEEMS INDIAN DEMOCRACY WORKS! Just as I was losing hope and thinking of something drastic… I got this from the minister for Tribal Affairs @MundaArjun by”SpeedPost”. Could you’ll please help Ladakh by thanking Arjun ji and @narendramodi@AmitShah for this gesture Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/7J85fq2e9b
Also, the local Ladakhis had organized ‘thanksgiving’ to celebrate Ladakh becoming a Union Territory after the central government obtained a presidential decree to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir with legislature and Ladakh without legislature.
As reported earlier, people in Ladakh had been demanding the union territory status for several decades. Therefore they were elated with the prospect of development of the region as a union territory. Even the Muslim residents in Ladakh then expressed their elation at the government’s decision by hoisting the Indian flag at the top of the centuries-old mosque in the main market region of Leh.
However, the locals after three years seem to have changed their opinion about the government probably after Wangchuk instigated them to join in the protests and demand the inclusion of the UT in the sixth schedule. Wangchuk also stated that the people were unhappy with the government and reiterated that the latter was sowing the seeds of militancy in the region.
Criticism of Sonam Wangchuk and his projects
While the innovator claims that he is highly concerned about the climate in Ladakh, and demands protection of the ecology by including the region in the 6th schedule, some people have been opposing his activities alleging the threat to environmental change in the region. According to the reports, villagers in Leh have alleged that the mountains are being littered with plastic waste due to Wangchuk’s project. In fact, people from several villages have written to the administration against his projects, especially the Ice Stupa artificial glacier project. They say that instead of being beneficial for the environment, it is harming it due to the excessive use of plastic. They also allege that the project is a failure.
Sonam Wangchuk came up with a method to produce tiny artificial glaciers, or ice stupas, by freezing stream water throughout the winter into 50-meter-tall ice towers. However, not everyone is adoring these man-made glaciers. Images from Phyang village reveal that a significant quantity of plastic pipes, tents, and bottles are used to construct these ice stupas, which has caused environmental worries among the locals.
Image shows plastic underneath the snow (Image- India Today)
While the Ice Stupas have been touted as a ‘green’ solution to the water crisis in the arid desert region situated deep in the Himalayas, many environmentalists and local activists have been objecting to the project. In these ‘artificial glaciers’, a plastic pipe collects water from the source at the higher ground and brings it directly to the lower ground. There, the water enters a dome-shaped network of netting fixed to pipes with holes which sprinkle water in the air. As the water is sprayed in the sub-zero temperatures air, it collects on the dome in the shape of a large cone of ice.
When summer comes, the Ice Stupa starts to melt, providing a supply of water. Therefore, basically, the system stores water in the form of ice during winter, which provides water for irrigation during summer. Local Ladkhis already use this method, but they make ice sheets, and therefore it melts quickly in summer. The Ice Stupa melts gradually due to its cone structure.
However, the use of excessing nets, sheets and pipes made of plastic is causing a different environmental problem in the region. With the excessive use of plastic, its ‘green’ tag comes into question. Social media is filled with photos and videos which show the plastic garbage left in the sites where Ice Stupas were built. The photos and videos show damaged pipes, sheets and nets lying on the snow-covered grounds.
It is claimed that a large number of domes were abandoned after they didn’t work as expected, and it has caused massive plastic pollution. Locals have alleged that many ice stupas have been abandoned by the organisation run by Wangchuk, and they leave plastic waste behind. A resident told India Today, “There is a lot of plastic in areas where he worked. Now, no one is cleaning the mess.” Villagers say that while Wangchuk claims to fight to save the environment, his projects harm it.
Another criticism of the Ice Stupa project is that it is altering the water flow. As the Ice Stupas collect and store water, villages located downstream are alleging that due to the diversion of water to make Ice Stupas, they are not getting enough water from the water streams. In fact, after the locals protested, the administration had to stop the construction of more stupas in the upper regions. Environmentalists also say that by directly collecting water at the source, the Ice Stupas are adversely affecting the recharge system of the groundwater table.
Sonam Wangchuk is also facing criticism over the delay in the construction of an alternative university, for which the administration had granted land to his institute. Now, villagers of Phyang have requested in a letter to the Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, that Wangchuk’s HIAL’s land allocation should be revoked. The villagers of Phyang demanded that the 1200 kanals of land that HIAL had been given permission to use for the construction of an alternative university should be revoked, as the university has not been constructed.
According to the villagers, the villagers gave the NOC for handing over the land on the condition that HIAL would complete university construction within two years of land allotment. But there is not any sign of construction work, and HIAL has not conducted any meeting or consultation with the Board of Members after getting the NOC from the villagers, and therefore the allotment of the land should be withdrawn.
“HIAL has played negatively with the sentiments of innocent villagers in Phyang village by making false promises and enticing (them) just for the sake of getting a NOC for allotment of land”, the villagers stated.
Moreover, the office of Nambardar of Phyang also wrote a letter recommending the cancellation of 1200 kanals of land allocated to Wangchuk. According to the letter, while the given land is sufficient for the project, HIAL is trying to get more land, delaying the project. The villagers have objected to the demand for more land, as they have little land left after granting the 1200 kanals land. Wangchuk was also sent a notice by the administration in 2020 for failure to deposit the amount agreed for 1076 kanals and 1 marla of land allotted to him for the construction of HIAL.
As stated above, Wangchuk conducted the recent protest just to grab the attention of the Central Government to the local Ladakhi problems. He stated that MHA Amit Shah and Prime Miniter Narendra Modi were unaware of the local problems on the ground and that he was attempting to showcase the same to the authorities. However, the engineer said that he would protest for a longer time in February if his demands are not met or considered.
