Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 21 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi on Tuesday criticised the Delhi Police action against climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters, saying that peaceful protest is a democratic right and alleging that the incident reflected a weakening of democratic values.
Responding to an ANI question on the police action against Wangchuk and the protesters in Delhi, Negi said that for a long time, young people had been peacefully raising their demands through democratic means.
“For a long time, the youth have been raising their demands through democratic and peaceful protests. Sonam Wangchuk had been on a prolonged sit-in, but he and others were forcibly removed. When they marched towards Parliament yesterday, they were stopped and subjected to force,” Negi said.
The minister alleged that some police personnel involved in the action were not in proper uniform and had concealed their identities.
“There were police personnel who were not in proper uniform, and some had even concealed their identification. In a democracy, every citizen has the right to peacefully protest and raise their voice,” he said.
Negi accused the Central government of weakening democratic institutions and disregarding constitutional values.
“Democracy has weakened under the Modi government. The Constitution is not being respected, and this is a grave injustice to the country’s youth,” he said.
Referring to repeated examination paper leaks, Negi alleged that the issue reflected systemic failures affecting young aspirants.
“This is not the first such incident. More than a hundred examination paper leak cases have surfaced during the Modi government’s tenure. I believe papers are being sold so that only those with money can succeed, while ordinary young people suffer,” he alleged.
Drawing parallels with previous protests, Negi referred to Sonam Wangchuk’s long march over Ladakh-related demands and alleged that protesters had repeatedly faced harsh action.
“Earlier, Sonam Wangchuk undertook a march of more than 1,000 kilometres for the issues of Ladakh. During another movement over Sixth Schedule demands, protesters faced police firing, and several people were martyred. Many youths were booked under false cases of sedition and remained in jail for over a hundred days before being released without any chargesheet,” he claimed.
Negi further alleged that central agencies were being used to create an atmosphere of fear.
“These incidents indicate that democracy has indeed weakened. Instead of the rule of law, an atmosphere of fear has been created through agencies like the ED and the CBI,” he said.
The Revenue Minister also said that although Congress workers had supported the movement, he believed that all political parties should extend support to democratic protests.
“Personally, I fully support this movement. All political parties should stand with such democratic movements,” he added. (ANI)
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