Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike has revived national attention on Ladakh’s demands—echoing a historic protest by his father, Sonam Wangyal, decades ago. When Wangyal fasted to demand Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the region, it drew an attention of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
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Sonam Wangchuk: Father fasted for Ladakh, son on hunger strike for students – All you need to know
Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike: Jantar Mantar on Saturday morning witnessed tense scenes when police took Sonam Wangchuk, who had been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 20 days, to the hospital for treatment. Cops formed a human chain and lifted the 59-year-old activist from his bed and took him to the Safdarjung Hospital in an ambulance as his health deteriorated. According to the Delhi Police, the action was taken after a Delhi High Court order and medical advice. However, organisers of the protest alleged that the activist was forcibly removed.
The images and videos of the dramatic incident went viral on the internet, with several netizens extending their support for Wangchuk. The incident also carries a similar echo from Ladakh’s past.
Do you know Wangchuk’s father, Sonam Wangyal, who also sat on hunger for four decades to gather attention of the country’s attention on issues of Ladakh.
Who Was Sonam Wangyal? – The Man Who Fasted For Ladakh
To know the story of Sonam Wangyal, we have to go back to 1960s when he made headlines by becoming the youngest person to reach Mount Everest’s summit in 1965. He was just 23-year-old then. Later, he became one of the region’s prominent politicians. He faced all odds in his life and became Jammu and Kashmir’s Legislative Council and later as an MLA and a minister.
As per Ladakh Studies journal records, Wangyal was active in the campaign for Scheduled Tribe status for Ladakh during 1980s.
Ladakh’s communities were dealing with economic and educational disadvantage, political representation and protection of their social and cultural identity.
To raise these issues, Wangyal went on hunger strike in 1984 and demanded Scheduled Tribe recognition.
The Indira Gandhi Angle
His indefinite hunger strike drew the attention of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who visited Leh in 1984.
According to a study of Ladakh’s ST movement, Wangyal’s fast and the promise made to him were not fulfilled immediately.
The Fast Ended, But The Struggle Did Not
After five years of waiting, the demand finally moved from political promise to constitutional recognition.
Under Article 342, the 1989 Constitutional Order officially designated eight communities in Jammu and Kashmir as Scheduled Tribes: Balti, Beda, Bot, Brokpa, Changpa, Garra, Mon and Purigpa.
However, Ladakh did not receive the “ST status” as a single community. Under the 1989 constitution, specific tribal communities were recognised in Jammu and Kashmir, many of whom lived in Ladakh. After years of campaigning the recognition
The recognition came after years of campaigning. For the region.
In 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Sonam the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
Son Protested After 40 Years – The Story Feels The Same
After four decades of Sonam Wangyal’s hunger strike, his son Sonam Wangchuk is using fasting again to make a political point. But this time, its not about Ladakh but the future of the students.
In 2025, Wangchuk went on a 35-day fast demanding Ladakh’s safeguards, including statehood and Sixth Schedule protection.
Now, he had been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 20 days at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over exam irregularities and the NEET paper leak controversy. But on Saturday, which was the 21st day of the protest, police intervened and took Sonam to the hospital as his health started deteriorating.
The protesters are demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the alleged NEET paper leak case.
A father fasted for Ladakh and now 40 years later, his son, following in his footsteps, sat on a hunger strike, but this time for students and the country’s education system.
