Did Ladakh’s environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk demand a plebiscite for Kashmir? Fact Check

Posted by: Sridevi P May 27, 2024

A video clip of Ladakh environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk is doing the rounds on social media claiming that he is demanding a plebiscite for Kashmir. The video clip shows Sonam Wangchuk saying, “You might have heard that referendums and plebiscites should take place, and if everyone thinks like that, then why not?”

The caption reads: “It is sad to see environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh demanding a plebiscite for Kashmir. Mr. Wangchuk, Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so. The last hurdle of Article 370 was nullified both by the Indian Parliament and the Supreme Court. Don’t push separatism.”

The post has been shared here and here on X.

FACT CHECK

Owing to the sensitivity related to the issue, we took it up and checked for the original video. Taking some key frames, we checked on Google Reverse Image Search and found that the original interview was uploaded by The Fourth Estate Youtube Channel on May 13, 2024. See the video here:

At 14:23 minutes, The Fourth Estate reporter Ravindra Singh asks Sonam Wangchuk about his views on the residents of Kargil still wanting to associate with Jammu and Kashmir, to which Wangchuk replied, “Sonam replied, “No, I want to ask whether it is the personal opinion of a few (or) it is of the whole region or population. Then we will pray and work in that direction. Wherever it may be in the world, people should be happy, people should be free to go where they want. So that’s why you have referendums and plebiscites. So, if everyone thinks the same way, why not in Kashmir?”

But following the uproar that Sonam Wangchuk was referring to plebiscite demand in Kashmir, interviewer Ravindra Singh Sheoran, gave a clarification on May 20, 2024 in another video as below:

In this video, Shareon said, “I took an interview with Sonam Wangchuk and asked a question regarding the statement of Kargil leader Sajjad Kargili. Sajjad Kargili said Kargil and Ladakh are in bad condition after becoming union territory, and why do they want us to be in union territory when we are in bad condition? It’s better to reunite us. For this question, Sonam Wangchuk answers that it is a personal view of Sajjad Kargili or a Kargil’s personal choice. If every Kargil’s people’s choice and one thinks like that, then there’s nothing wrong if people are happy with reuniting in Kashmir. Wangchuk added that this is the reason why in Kashmir, plebiscites and referendums take place.”

At the timestamp 2:10, Sheoran further said that the statement of Sonam Wangchuk was edited and twisted in a way that Sonam was saying that he wanted a plebiscite in Kashmir, which was not true.

In addition, we found Sonam Wangchuk himself tweeted on May 20, 2024, explaining his position: “Sad to see my statement being twisted beyond recognition. But I can totally understand how the doctored version of my video could be misunderstood when taken out of context. Please spread the truth, not lies. Satyamev jayate,” he wrote.

A general reference to referendum or plebiscite by Wangchuk was twisted to claim that he was speaking about Kashmir’s plebiscite, which was not the case here. Hence, the claim is false.

Claim: Video clip shows Ladakh’s environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk demanding a plebiscite for Kashmir.

Conclusion: The claim is false. Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk’s statement on Kargil was twisted and shared out of context.

Rating: Misrepresentation —

About Sridevi P

Sridevi, a business management graduate from Osmania University, Hyderabad has contributed fact-checks whenever she found time. She can be reached at psridevi@digiteye.in

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