Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and 150 other protestors from Ladakh who are under detention on Wednesday continued their indefinite fast, saying they find their rights trampled upon on Gandhi Jayanti, a day that symbolizes peace and democracy.

The climate activist was leading ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’, which began from Leh a month ago. They were detained on Monday night.

Jigmat Paljor, Coordinator Apex Body, said their detention, which is continuing for over 24 hours, is illegal.

“We, the ‘padyatris’, find ourselves in an alarming situation. We have been detained for over 24 hours. This detention is illegal, as the 24-hour period has elapsed, and we must be produced before a magistrate,” Paljor said in a statement released on Wednesday morning.

He added that some groups have been released after just under 24 hours, only to be returned to the police station. “Last night, the police attempted to forcibly relocate us to an unknown location, but we stood our ground in resistance,” he said.

He further said that their phones were confiscated at the Bawana Police Station, leaving them cut off from the outside world. Delhi Police, however, said that the ‘padyatris’ were released last night and detained again.

A senior police officer told PTI that Wangchuk and other detained Ladakhis were allowed to go on Tuesday night but they were adamant to march towards the central part of Delhi, therefore, they were detained again.

The “padyatris” started their journey from Leh on September 1 and marched all the way, except when they entered poll-bound Haryana, where they boarded buses. They were detained at Delhi’s Singhu border on Monday night and taken to different police stations, where they began an indefinite fast.

“All the ‘padyatris’ have been on ‘anshan’ for 36 hours. Today, October 2nd, on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we had planned to visit Gandhi Samadhi to pay our respects. Instead, we find our rights trampled upon on a day that symbolizes peace and democracy,” Paljor said.

“This situation raises serious concerns about the state of our democracy. We call upon everyone to stand in solidarity with us during this critical time,” he added.

The march was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which have been leading an agitation for the past four years to demand statehood for Ladakh, its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, an early recruitment process, the establishment of a Public Service Commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.

Wangchuk has been held at the Bawana police station along with a few others, while others have been detained at Narela Industrial Area, Alipur, and Kanjhawala police stations, he added.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday advised Indian citizens against travelling to Iran, as the Middle East situation appeared to be on the brink of a wider war following Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday. The officials also advised Indians in Iran to remain vigilant and stay in touch with the embassy in Tehran. 

Issuing an advisory, the External Affairs Ministry stated that they are closely monitoring the recent escalation in security situation in the region. It added that the Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. It mentioned that nationals currently residing in Iran are requested to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran.

Reportedly, Iran launched over 180 missiles into Israel late on Tuesday, signifying an escalation in the conflict between two countries. Though Israel claims to have intercepted and destroyed many of the missiles, Tel Aviv and US officials have warned Tehran of severe consequences, raising the threat of a region-wide war in the Middle East.

Considering the situation, the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv also issued an advisory for Indian nationals in Israel on Tuesday. The officials asked Indian nationals to stay vigilant and adhere to the protocols as advised by the local authorities.

The advisory asked Indians to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel within the country and stay close to the safety shelters. It added that the Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and remains in regular touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of Indian nationals.

Meanwhile, Air India also stated that it is adjusting flights routes to avoid areas of risk with minimal impact on non-stop operations. The airline said that all their flights are assessed daily for any potential security or safety risks whether it is in the Middle East or any other part of our route network. Furthermore, it said that adjustments are made, if necessary, to avoid areas of risk with minimal impact on our non-stop operations. 

In an unfortunate incident, three people, including two pilots and an engineer, died after a helicopter crashed in Maharashtra’s Pune district and caught fire on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 6:45 am in hilly terrain in the Bavdhan area after the helicopter took off from a helipad situated at a golf course in the vicinity.

Reportedly, the helicopter was carrying two pilots, Paramjit Singh and G K Pillai, and one engineer, Pritam Bharadwaj. All the people who were on board died. 

Devendra Prabhakar Potphode, chief fire officer told media that when they reached the spot, they saw that the chopper had crashed and all its parts were scattered, and there was a smouldering fire. He added that they were able to extract three casualties, and these were handed over to the police.

Preliminary information stated the helicopter belonged to Heritage Aviation and was based in Pune. The police said that it had a registration number VT EVV. The helicopter was chartered by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and was headed to Mumbai. NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said that he was going to visit Raigad in the helicopter.

The police stated that four fire tankers from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) are presently at the spot. While the exact cause of the crash has not yet been identified, police officials said that dense fog could have possibly led to the mishap.

Earlier in August, a private helicopter flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad had crashed in Pune’s Paud village. All the four occupants survived the crash that took place near Paud, though they suffered injuries, a police official said.

Pankaj Deshmukh, superintendent of police (Pune Rural) stated that a private helicopter crashed near Paud village in Pune district. He added that the helicopter belongs to a private aviation company and was going from Mumbai to Hyderabad, four people were travelling in the helicopter, assessment of any injuries is being looked into.