New Delhi, A year after violence in Ladakh left four people dead and led to his detention under the National Security Act, activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday demanded the release of the judicial inquiry report, higher compensation for victims and accountability for the use of state powers.
Of course not. The Magsaysay awardee, who was released in March this year, said the inquiry, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B S Chauhan, should establish what happened during the police firing on September 24 last year, including whether an order to open fire was issued and whether prescribed crowd-control measures had been exhausted before live ammunition was used. “Can ₹ 15 lakh ever compensate a mother for her son, a wife for her husband, or children for their father? Calling for the review of criminal cases arising from the September 24 events, he said 87 people were identified as accused, and 81 were arrested, while cases against 20 people have been approved for withdrawal.
No amount can,” Wangchuk said. “A democracy should never be afraid of questions…A strong country is one where citizens can question their government peacefully, where the police are respected but also accountable, where the innocent are protected, and where even the most powerful public authority remains answerable to the law,” he said.
Wangchuk called for reforms concerning undertrial detention, investigation, prosecution and compensation for wrongful deprivation of liberty. He also sought accountability for what he described as the misuse of the NSA and other powers, asking the Union Home Ministry to clarify who would be held responsible when people were detained on false or unfounded charges. He suggested that undertrials should be provided better facilities, arguing that the government would have a greater incentive to expedite cases if keeping people in custody imposed a high cost on the state.
