A cropped video of Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk is viral online with the false claim that he recently demanded plebiscite, or a separate statehood, for Jammu and Kashmir.
BOOM found that the claims are false and in the original video, Wangchuk is heard talking about the status of Ladakh as a Union Territory; nowhere in the clip does he demand a referendum for Kashmir.
The viral video shows part of an interview where Wangchuk is heard saying, "Any territory should be happy. They should be able to go wherever they want to go. That is why you must have heard of referendums and plebiscites. If this is what the majority wants, then why not in Kashmir?"
The video is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "True colours of Magsaysay Award now coming out.... Dubious Activist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh demanding a plebiscite for Kashmir. Now he becomes separatist. The environmentalist was just a mask."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Aditya Raj Kaul, Executive Editor of news outlet TV9 also shared the video with the caption, "Sad to see Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh demanding a plebiscite for Kashmir. Mr. Wangchuk, Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India, will always remain so. Last hurdle of Article 370 was nullified both by Indian Parliament and Supreme Court. Don’t push separatism."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the claims are false, the full video shows Sonam Wangchuk addressing the issue of Ladakh's status as a union territory and not demanding a separate statehood or plebiscite for Kashmir.
We first ran a keyword search for the incident using 'Sonam Wangchuk plebiscite' and found a report published by The Indian Express on May 21, 2024 that carried a clarification from Wangchuk regarding his statement. The article was titled 'Did not make any statement on Kashmir: Sonam Wangchuk on claims he sought referendum' and carried Wangchuk's statements to PTI where he called the viral claims "twisted" and stated that he had not spoken about Kashmir.
He further explained, "A politician from Kargil said Ladakh should be re-merged with Kashmir. I objected to that and said it was ok if this was his personal view, but if all people of Kargil feel this way, they can do that. But Ladakh will continue to be a UT."
Taking a cue from this, we ran a search for Wangchuk's verified X account and found that he had issued a clarification here too. In a video statement shared on May 20, 2024, Wangchuk showed the viral clip and said, "A small portion of this video is being shown to claim that I am speaking about Ladakh re-merging with Kashmir or demanding plebiscite for Kashmir. The fact is, I was supporting the Indian government's current position on the issue and saying that Ladakh would remain a union territory, and if somebody wants to leave they can, they should be able to merge with Kashmir happily."
Ladakh was declared a union territory in August 2019 after Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional autonomy was struck down by the government.
Wangchuk added, "Unfortunately, all these (false) comments and posts are spread by people who have "Modi ka Parivaar" specified in their usernames. According to me, you are defaming Modiji. You are working so hard, maybe even taking money, and after that, instead of generating goodwill for him, you are defaming him."
Watch his full statement here:
In this statement, Wangchuk also explains that he was asked a question about a Kargil-based politician, Sajjad Kargili's recent statement. Kargili had claimed that the people of Ladakh were "not happy" with its status as a Union Territory and that if it was not granted statehood, it would be merged back into Jammu and Kashmir. Wangchuk explained that he had expressed disagreement to this remark by Kargili and said that they could be his personal views and not the views of the majority, however, if they are, efforts should be made to work towards it.
We then ran a search for the original interview and found that it was uploaded on YouTube on May 13, 2024, by a channel called 'TheFourthEstate' run by Ravindra Singh Sheoran, who is also seen interviewing Wangchuk.
At 13:22, Sheoran asks Wangchuk, "For the first time, we have seen under your leadership that Leh and Kargil were united and had the same demands. However, as the election came by, the divide was seen again. How tough is this?"
Wangchuk replies, "It is (tough). I think we should stop thinking about today and tomorrow and think about the years, months, and generations to come. If the people of Leh find a candidate from Kargil worthwhile or vice versa, where they feel the person will help Ladakh prosper for the happiness of our children and grandchildren, then they should think about that. We should stop falling for conversations about today and tomorrow, or hate."
It is then that the portion from the viral video starts from 14:24 when the Sheoran asks Wangchuk about Kargili's tweet. To this, Wangchuk says, "These can be people's personal views. However, if these are the majority population's views, then we will pray and work hard towards it. Any territory should be happy. They should be able to go wherever they want to go. That is why you must have heard of referendums and plebiscites. If this is what the majority wants, then why not in Kashmir?"
On May 20, 2024, Sheoran also shared a video on his YouTube channel and addressed the viral claim. "Wangchuk said that if the population of Kargil and Leh want to merge with Kashmir, they should be able to do so. This statement has been clipped out of context to claim that Wangchuk demanded a referendum or plebiscite in Kashmir," Sheoran was heard saying.