Arunachal Pradesh: RGU students stage sit-in protest in support of Ladakh’s statehood demand

Papumpare (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], April 8 (ANI): A large number of students of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) staged a symbolic sit-in protest at the university campus in the Papumpare district of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.

The protest aimed to express solidarity with the people of Ladakh, who are demanding statehood, inclusion under the 6th schedule of the Indian Constitution, and other rights.

The sit-in was organised by the North East Human Rights Organisation (NEHRO), Arunachal Resist, and RGU students.

The key demands include- statehood and inclusion under the 6th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which grants special rights to tribal communities, and stronger ecological protections for Ladakh.

The people also demanded an end to the clampdown on peaceful protests, the lifting of the internet ban and the revocation of Section 144 CRPC, which prohibits the assembly of more than four people in certain areas.

Meanwhile, activist Sonam Wangchuk fighting for statehood and the 6th Schedule for the Ladakh Union Territory, thanked the people for standing up for the truth.

In a post on X, Sonam Wangchuk wrote on Sunday, “Thank you friends of Ladakh for standing up for truth, democracy and the environment in so many cities today. We chose not to March to the borders but our goal is more than met, by the government’s overreaction & desperation to cover up facts.”

“The Indian Army is more than capable of dealing with intruders at the LAC if politicians just let them do their job,” the post further reads.

Earlier, on April 5, Section 144 was imposed in Ladakh’s Leh following the ongoing protest.

The District Magistrate, Santosh Sukhadeve, said in his order that the Superintendent of Police of the district has reported to him that there are reliable indications of apprehension of breach of peace and public tranquillity in the district.