The central government on Thursday cancelled the FCRA licence of Sonam Wangchuk's non-governmental organisation (NGO) Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) with immediate effect, following the violence in Ladakh that claimed four lives and left many others injured. In its order, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the Ladakh activist's nonprofit has 'repeatedly' violated the foreign funding regulations.
The MHA stated that funds were received in Wangchuk's personal and joint accounts, which is a direct violation of the FCRA 2010. It further stated that his NGO received crores of rupees from abroad between 2021 and 2024, raising concerns about possible money laundering, as these "outward foreign remittances were made to unknown entities".
"While Sonam Wangchuk continues to project himself as a representative of the people's cause, the record of financial misconduct suggests otherwise," the MHA said in its order. "His actions risk derailing constructive dialogue and turning genuine concerns into tools for personal and political gain."
Wangchuk's 9 personal accounts
In its order, the union home ministry said the 59-year-old has nine personal bank accounts, but eight of them are not declared. Out of these eight accounts, many have huge foreign remittance in them, the ministry said, adding that Wangchuk sent around Rs 2.3 crore between 2021 and 2024 abroad from his personal account.
Wangchuk, the ministry said, also received foreign funds of Rs 1.68 crore between 2018 and 2024 in different accounts. "While he criticizes the corporate sector, he takes huge funds under CSR from various corporate entities including central government PSUs," it noted.
Ladakh violence and Wangchuk's demand
On Wednesday, violence erupted in Ladakh that left four dead and 80 others, including 40 police personnel, injured. The protesters were demanding statehood for Ladakh and the extension of the Sixth Schedule, which makes special provisions for the tribal population in terms of governance, powers of the president and the governor, type of local bodies, alternate judicial mechanisms and financial powers exercised through autonomous councils.
The government has blamed Wangchuk for the protests, a charge that has been denied by him. In a statement, he said the government wants to make him the 'scapegoat', but he is ready to be arrested under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). "To say it was instigated by me, or sometimes by Congress, is to find a scapegoat, rather than addressing the core of the problem, and this will lead us nowhere," he told news agency PTI.
Wangchuk faces ED, CBI probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also expected to probe the matter in this regard. Meanwhile, the CBI is already conducting a preliminary enquiry against the Ladakh activist for the past two months. The CBI is probing the alleged FCRA violations against the organisation.
