Police arrest activist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh

Leh: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested here on Friday, two days after violent protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution left four people dead and 90 injured, officials said.

Wangchuk was taken into custody around 2.30 pm by a police team led by Ladakh DGP S D Singh Jamwal, they said. The charges against him were not immediately clear.

The Union Home Ministry had earlier blamed Wangchuk, a senior member of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), for instigating the unrest. The LAB, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has been spearheading the agitation for over five years.

Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike in support of the demands, rejected the allegations. He condemned the violence and ended his fortnight-long fast on Wednesday, a day after the clashes.