Defending the preventive detention of Sonam Wangchuk before the Supreme Court, the Centre said on Monday that the Ladakh-based social activist wanted to provoke the Gen Z and posed serious threat to national security. The government even argued that Wangchuk wanted to create a situation in the union territory (UT) similar to that in Nepal and Bangladesh.
Representing the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a two-judge bench of the top court, comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale, even said that Wangchuk referred to the government as "them", which is enough for detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), as he pointed that "there is no us and them".
"He wants Ladakh to become Nepal or Bangladesh? This is what clearly he wants to say. We all know what happened in Bangladesh. He is targeting the impressionable youth. The moment you say ours and theirs in this country, you are doing something against the country. There is no 'they'. It is 'our' government," he said, as reported by Bar and Bench.
Mehta told the court that Wangchuk made "inflammatory speeches" and used the name of Mahatma Gandhi only as a cover. He even argued that it was the district magistrate (DM) to judge the situation, adding that the activist was only trying to mislead everyone, particularly the youths. Wangchuk even mentioned about the Arab springs in his speeches, he noted.
"There was a bloodbath in this Arab revolution. There was self immolation. This is what he wants the GenZ to do. It is an invitation to indulge in civil war with bloodbath! He says why can’t we self immolate? This is how he’s instigating impressionable youth," he said.
According to Mehta, Ladakh is crucial for India to maintain the supply chain to its military, but Wangchuk wanted referendum in the UT. He argued that Wangchuk cannot be "allowed to spit venom", noting that "if this is not the case for NSA detention then nothing is."
Wangchuk, 59-year-old, is under detention at the Central Jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, since September last year following the violent protests in Ladakh that claimed four lives and injured many others. The Supreme Court last month said it will hear a plea challenging his detention. The hearing will resume on Tuesday again.
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