Govt. revokes FCRA licence of Wangchuk’s organisation
SOCIAL – NGO
26 SEPTEMBER 2025
- The Union Home Ministry cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration of Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), the organisation and school founded by the Ladakh-based climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, citing alleged violations.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also conducting an inquiry involving another non-profit organisation established by Mr. Wangchuk regarding similar allegations.
- The development comes a day after violence erupted in Leh city of Ladakh, during an ongoing protest demanding Statehood.
- Four people were killed and many injured in the unrest.
- The Ministry later said that “a mob guided by Sonam Wangchuk’s provocative statements” was responsible for the violence.
- Mr. Wangchuk said that though he had founded the school, he is no longer associated with its management.
- In 2021-22, SECMOL received ₹4.93 lakh from a Swedish organisation, Framtidsjorden, for “awareness on youth migration, food security, and sovereignty”. The government held that accepting foreign funds for studies involving “national sovereignty” violated FCRA rules.
- The CBI is inquiring into suspected FCRA violations by the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL).
- HIAL does not have FCRA clearance.
