CTA rebuts Sonam Wangchuk’s Ladakh-Tibet comparison as ‘misplaced and inaccurate’

New Delhi: The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) on Friday, rejected climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s comparison of conditions in Ladakh with those in Tibet, calling it “misplaced and inaccurate”. The Tibetan administration-in-exile said his remarks failed to reflect the repression Tibetans faced under Chinese rule, including restrictions on fundamental rights and religious freedom.

In a media statement, the CTA’s official spokesperson, Tenzin Lekshay, expressed deep concern over Wangchuk’s recent public speech in Ladakh. The administration said Tibet remained under China’s authoritarian rule and accused Beijing of intensifying measures aimed at erasing its distinct cultural identity.

The response followed Wangchuk’s address in Leh on Thursday, marking the first anniversary of violence in which four civilians were killed during protests for statehood and constitutional safeguards. Speaking alongside representatives of the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, he alleged that India’s treatment of Ladakhis was worse than China’s treatment of Tibetans.

“We had China right in front of us. We chose India for its democracy,” Wangchuk said, according to Economic Times. He invoked that expectation of democratic treatment while accusing the Centre of failing to honour commitments to the region.

The CTA’s objection was directed specifically at his characterization of conditions inside Tibet, rather than the merits of Ladakh’s demands for greater political representation. Its statement did not address the circumstances of the Leh deaths, the investigation into them or the constitutional arrangements sought by Ladakhi organizations.

Wangchuk also demanded the resignation of the Union home minister, Amit Shah, holding him politically responsible for the violence, and sought publication of the judicial inquiry report. He said a tribunal involving retired judges and civil society representatives could be organized if the findings were not released to establish the circumstances surrounding the firing.

A separate dispute concerned security arrangements for the anniversary gathering at Leh’s NDS ground, with Wangchuk alleging that barricades and armed deployments had discouraged attendance. Ladakh Police rejected allegations of restrictions, saying permission had been granted for the event, and nobody was prevented from reaching the venue.

Police described the measures as routine traffic and crowd management arrangements, saying organizers had initially indicated that a larger gathering was expected. Shops and businesses, meanwhile, remained closed across Leh, Kargil and other parts of Ladakh as residents observed the anniversary of the deaths.

The agitation has its roots in the political changes following Ladakh’s separation from the former state of Jammu & Kashmir in 2019, when it became a Union territory without a legislature. Demands for stronger safeguards subsequently centred on local decision-making, protection of land and employment, and preservation of the region’s cultural identity.

The Sixth Schedule, a central demand of the movement, provides autonomous councils with legislative and administrative powers in specified tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Extending comparable protections to Ladakh would strengthen local authority over matters affecting its predominantly tribal population, although the constitutional mechanism remains contested.

The Centre has recently proposed a different arrangement, involving constitutional safeguards under Article 371 and an elected body at the Union territory level. Following talks on September 9, the Ladakh administration ruled out statehood or a legislature, while discussions continued over the proposed body’s powers and its relationship with the existing hill councils.

The CTA’s criticism also draws attention to international concerns about the preservation of Tibetan identity under Chinese policies. In February 2023, UN human rights experts warned that approximately one million Tibetan children were affected by a residential schooling system they described as contributing to cultural, religious and linguistic assimilation.

China has rejected accusations that its boarding schools are designed to erase Tibetan culture, arguing that they improve educational access for children from remote and sparsely populated areas. Its foreign ministry has defended the system as protecting education and cultural heritage, a position disputed by Tibetan advocates and international rights experts.

Based in Dharamshala, the CTA administers the affairs of the Tibetan exile community and advocates for Tibetans’ rights. Its stated Middle-Way Approach seeks genuine autonomy within the People’s Republic of China rather than independence, placing the protection of Tibetan religion, language and culture at the centre of its proposed settlement.