Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday launched an indefinite fast at the Ladakh Bhawan in Delhi after he and other protestors were denied permission to hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar seeking the Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, PTI reported.
The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 (Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas) of the Constitution guarantees certain protections for land and a nominal autonomy for citizens in designated tribal areas. In Ladakh, more than 97% of the population belongs to the Scheduled Tribes.
Wangchuk told reporters that they had been forced to start their protest at the Ladakh Bhawan after failing to find another venue in the national capital.
Wangchuk had said in a social media post earlier on Sunday that the police had denied them the permission to hold demonstrations at “the officially designated place for protests”.