Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 26: Terming the arrest of activist Sonam Wangchuk “unnecessary”, senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary G.A. Mir today accused the Centre of “mishandling” the situation in Ladakh.
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Speaking to reporters in Anantnag, Mir said Wangchuk had earlier been granted permission for foreign funding by the NDA Government and the Union Home Ministry.
“First, permission was given, and now it has been cancelled, creating the impression that the previous Government allowed it and the present dispensation stopped it. This reflects total mishandling of the Ladakh issue,” he said.
On Wangchuk’s arrest, Mir remarked, “After this episode a few days back, he himself said that arresting him could worsen the situation. His arrest today was unnecessary and unwanted”
“He is one of the most respected figures, a follower of Gandhian thought, and has dedicated himself to speaking for the people of Ladakh,” he added.
Mir added that the people of Ladakh, particularly those in Leh, are peace-loving and have never sided with violence.
Referring to the recent incident of violence in Leh that claimed four lives, he said it could have been handled more carefully.
He pointed out that it “was a known fact” that an activist group had been on hunger strike in Leh over long-pending demands, and some members had experienced a deterioration in health, prompting youth to come out onto the streets.
Rejecting allegations that Congress was involved in the violence, Mir said the agitation was “non-political” and that his party had stayed away from it.
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