New Delhi: The Union government has cancelled the foreign funding licence of Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk’s nonprofit, the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), citing repeated violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and serious financial irregularities.
The move comes barely a day after violent protests in Ladakh over statehood demands, in which four people lost their lives. Authorities have accused Wangchuk of delivering provocative speeches that allegedly incited a mob to attack a local BJP office as well as the office of the Ladakh election officer.
According to officials, SECMOL was issued a show-cause notice earlier this month highlighting four major discrepancies. Among them was a deposit of ₹3.35 lakh into the nonprofit’s FCRA account. SECMOL had claimed the money came from the sale of an old bus purchased with FCRA funds, but the government deemed the explanation “not tenable” and flagged the cash entry as a violation of Section 17 of the Act.
Another objection was raised over a donation of ₹4.93 lakh from a Swedish donor for youth awareness programmes on climate change, migration, and food security. The government argued the donation went “against the national interest.” Two additional transactions of ₹19,600 and ₹79,200 were also described as wrongful entries in SECMOL’s FCRA accounts.
Wangchuk, who has become the face of the Ladakhi statehood movement, has been on hunger strike to push for constitutional safeguards and full statehood for the Union Territory. Anticipating further government action, he remarked that he may soon be detained under the Public Safety Act.
“I see they are building a case to put me in jail for two years,” he said. “I am ready. But a Sonam Wangchuk in jail may cause them more problems than a free Sonam Wangchuk.”
