Sonam Wangchuk detained at Singhu: Did newspapers report or bury the story?

With prohibitory orders imposed in Delhi until October 6, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained along with more than 120 protesters from Ladakh at the Singhu border on Monday night.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi slammed the police action on Tuesday. “Why are elderly citizens being detained at Delhi’s border for standing up for Ladakh's future? Modi ji, as with the farmers, this ‘Chakravyuh’ will be broken, and so will your arrogance. You will have to listen to Ladakh’s voice.”

Wangchuk and the others had reached Delhi on foot, and had planned to reach Rajghat on October 2, on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. They began their ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’ from Leh on September 1. These protesters have been demanding that the Centre resume dialogue with Ladakh’s leadership on key demands, such as statehood for the union territory, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution which grants special rights to tribal communities, and stronger ecological protections.

On Monday, after his detention, Wangchuk said that “our fate is unknown”. “We were on a most peaceful march to Bapu’s Samadhi… in the largest democracy in the world, the mother of democracy… Hai Ram.”

The prohibitory orders that were put in place in Delhi cited reasons such as “communal” atmosphere, MCD standing committee elections, the ongoing assembly polls, festive season, and the VVIP movement expected during Gandhi Jayanti.

How papers covered the detention

The incident did not get prominent coverage in several papers. 

The Delhi edition of The Indian Express skipped it. So did the Mumbai edition of Dainik Bhaskar.

Hindustan Times featured it as three paragraphs under a subhead in a small report on prohibitory orders in parts of Delhi on a city page.

The Hindu had it as the top brief item on page 11, headlined “Ladakh climate activist, others stopped from entering Delhi”. 

The Telegraph’s Calcutta edition featured the incident as a third item on its front page brief column, headlined “Sonam detained”.

The Times of India’s Delhi edition had a single column report on the detention on one of its city pages.

The Delhi edition of Dainik Jagran ostensibly had the most prominent coverage of Wangchuk’s detention, featuring it as the second lead on page 9, with a picture of police personnel deployed at the Singhu border to stop the protesters from entering Delhi. The headline had specifics. “After reaching Delhi on foot, Sonam Wangchuk detained along with 126 others.”

Earlier this year, after failed talks between the Centre and Ladakhi leaders, Wangchuk had earlier told Newslaundry that the Modi government was under pressure from “lobbies”.