The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a preliminary investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the institution he created, an official said Thursday.
According to the official, the initial investigation began around two months ago in response to a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and is currently ongoing.
Meanwhile, Wangchuk told PTI that a CBI team came with “an order” about 10 days ago, saying that they were acting on a complaint from the MHA regarding alleged FCRA violations in the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL).
On Wednesday, shortly after four people were killed in violence and police firing at a statehood protest in Leh, the MHA claimed Wangchuk's "provocative statements" incited the "mob.”
It said “certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress” in the ongoing talks between the representatives of the government and Ladakh groups, and “have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process”.
Protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule turned violent when demonstrators torched a BJP office and clashed with police. The agitation was called by the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) after two members of a group on a 35-day hunger strike, which began on September 10, had to be hospitalised as their health worsened, the Indian Express reported.
Engineer and innovator Sonam Wangchuk, who is widely recognised for his sustainable projects and had earlier undertaken a 15-day fast himself, decided to end his protest following the outbreak of violence.
In an online message, he urged Ladakhi youth to maintain peace and avoid actions that might undermine the movement, which has been pressing the Centre for over five years to act on long-pending demands.
Wangchuk, who served as an inspiration for a character in the 2009 Hindi film 3 Idiots, received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 in recognition of “his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society… setting an example for minority peoples in the world”.