The Ministry of Home Affairs has revoked the FCRA license of SECMOL (Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), citing repeated breaches of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.
Sonam Wangchuk’s NGO has finally had its FCRA license cancelled — a step that should have been taken long ago. Even back in 2007, when BJP was not in power at the Centre or in J&K, the government had flagged several violations by him and made sharp observations. The record speaks… pic.twitter.com/SoKWiNCPNu
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 25, 2025
The action comes after Sonam Wangchuk-led protest turned violent in Leh which left 4 people dead and 80 injured.
Simultaneously, the CBI has initiated an investigation into alleged irregularities in foreign funding linked to the institute headed by Sonam Wangchuk.
Sonam Wangchuk’s NGO has received funds from Ford Foundation which is known for indulging in covert operations.
According to officials, the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), also founded by Wangchuk, has drawn attention for a steep jump in donations—from around ₹6 crore in FY 2023-24 to over ₹15 crore in the next fiscal. Out of its seven bank accounts, four were reportedly not declared, and the institute allegedly accepted foreign contributions exceeding ₹1.5 crore without mandatory FCRA approval, violating Section 11 of the Act.
SECMOL itself faces similar charges, with six of its nine accounts said to be undisclosed. Another entity, Sheshyon Innovations Private Limited, where Wangchuk serves as a director, is also under scrutiny. Investigators have flagged a ₹6.5 crore transfer from HIAL to this private firm and a sharp fall in its profit margins—from 6.13% to just 1.14% in a year.
The probe further extends to Wangchuk’s personal finances. Sources claim he maintains nine personal bank accounts, of which eight were never disclosed, and that these accounts received substantial foreign inflows. Since 2021, over ₹2.3 crore was allegedly remitted abroad to unidentified recipients, raising concerns of possible money laundering.
Critics within the BJP highlight the contradiction between Wangchuk’s public attacks on corporates and the reality that his ventures have received sizeable CSR funding, including from central PSUs. If these allegations stand, they could damage his credibility and shift the Ladakh agitation from a people’s movement to a case of personal and political opportunism.
Wangchuk established SECMOL in 1988 and launched “Operation New Hope” in 1995. Many of his initiatives have historically drawn support from international organisations such as the Ford Foundation, Tata Trust, Dan Church Aid, and Karuna Trust.
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