Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a strong attack on the Centre over the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, contrasting it with the government permitting cricket matches against Pakistan. He urged “patriots” to boycott the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 final and asked advertisers to stay away from sponsoring the high-profile clash.
Addressing the media in Mumbai, the former Maharashtra chief minister said, “It is shameful that Sonam Wangchuk, who developed solar tent technology for our soldiers in extreme terrains, is branded anti-national and detained under the NSA. At the same time, cricket is allowed with Pakistan, the country that spreads terror in India. What kind of nationalism is this?”
Wangchuk, a key face of Ladakh’s five-year-long agitation demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards, was arrested on Friday under the National Security Act (NSA), two days after violent protests in Leh left four dead and around 90 injured. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail.
His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, told PTI that the violence escalated due to the actions of the CRPF on September 24 and rejected allegations that Wangchuk had links with Pakistan or embezzled funds. She maintained that his protests had always been Gandhian in nature.
Police, however, have stated that they fired in self-defence after protestors turned violent and torched the local BJP office.
Opposition parties have since questioned the government’s stand on patriotism, pointing to the contradiction of arresting a respected activist while continuing sports ties with Pakistan. India and Pakistan have already clashed twice in the ongoing Asia Cup, with Team India emerging victorious in both encounters before meeting again in the final.