‘Guns blazing from all sides’: Sonam Wangchuk hits out as CBI probes Ladakh institute over foreign funds

CBI checks foreign fund records of HIAL, SECMOL; activist calls scrutiny part of wider crackdown

Ladakh-based educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk says his organisations are facing an 'onslaught from all sides', as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) intensifies scrutiny into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).

Speaking to PTI, Wangchuk revealed that a CBI team arrived with 'an order' about 10 days ago, citing a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) complaint that his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL) received foreign funds without clearance.

“We don’t want to be dependent on foreign funds, but we export our knowledge and raise revenue. In three such instances, they thought it was foreign contribution,” Wangchuk told PTI.

What the CBI is investigating

According to ANI, the CBI has been probing HIAL for the past two months over suspected FCRA violations. Though no FIR has been filed yet, officials confirmed that records are being examined and a preliminary enquiry could follow.

Wangchuk said CBI teams recently visited both HIAL and the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), seeking details of foreign funds received between 2022 and 2024.

He added that while the mandate was to check finances for that period, officials had begun asking for accounts from earlier years and even requested documents from schools not covered in the original complaint.

Wangchuk’s defence

The activist insisted the agreements flagged by the government were service contracts with international bodies, including the United Nations, a Swiss university and an Italian organisation.

“It was a very dignified assignment. They saw it and were convinced. They understood it is not helping them, so they began asking for accounts outside that period,” Wangchuk told PTI.

He said both HIAL and SECMOL offer free education to underprivileged Ladakhi students, with stipends provided for project work.

A series of setbacks

The inquiry follows a string of official actions against Wangchuk and his organisations:

• Land allotment cancelled: In August, the Ladakh administration scrapped the land lease for HIAL, claiming the institute had not used the land for its intended purpose and had not executed a lease agreement.
• Police case: Wangchuk said local police earlier filed a sedition case against him.
• Tax summons: He also received income tax notices, despite Ladakh not having tax liability, claiming he 'voluntarily pays taxes' yet faces summons.
• Labour complaint revived: A four-year-old allegation about non-payment of labourers was also revived, Wangchuk alleged. “It is guns blazing from all sides on us,” the activist told PTI.

MHA’s stance amid Ladakh unrest

The developments come amid heightened tensions in Ladakh, where violent protests broke out in Leh this week over demands for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule and full statehood.

The Ministry of Home Affairs directly linked the unrest to Wangchuk’s hunger strike, launched on September 10. In a statement, the MHA accused him of misleading people with provocative references to the Arab Spring and Gen Z protests in Nepal, even as the government was in talks with local bodies.

The ministry highlighted that its High-Powered Committee process had already delivered increased Scheduled Tribe reservations (from 45 percent to 84 percent), one-third women’s reservation in councils, and recognition of Bhoti and Purgi as official languages.

It said the next round of formal talks with Ladakh leaders is scheduled for October 6.