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| After announcing judicial probe, Centre invites Ladakhi leaders for dialogue on Oct 22 | | |
Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 19: Two days after announcing a judicial probe into the Leh violence, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invited representatives from Ladakh, including members of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), for discussions in New Delhi on October 22 to deliberate on their long-pending demands for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
According to reports, a six-member sub-committee—comprising three leaders each from Leh and Kargil, along with the Member of Parliament from Ladakh—has been invited for the meeting.
The deliberations are expected to centre around the four key demands repeatedly raised by the Ladakh leadership: inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, grant of statehood, establishment of a separate Public Service Commission, and two parliamentary seats for the Union Territory, which currently has only one.
The invitation follows weeks of unrest in Ladakh, marked by protests, restrictions, and loss of lives. On September 24, four people were killed when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Leh district. In response, the Home Ministry ordered a judicial inquiry headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan, assisted by retired District and Sessions Judge Mohan Singh Parihar and IAS officer Tushar Anand.
However, the Leh Apex Body has objected to the composition of the inquiry team, citing the absence of a local representative. “It is surprising that there is no Ladakhi in the inquiry team. The presence of not a single Ladakhi looks strange. We want the probe to be held transparently,” LAB co-chairman Cherring Dorjay Lakruk told media persons.
Lakruk, who is also a member of the sub-committee invited for the October 22 meeting, confirmed that the delegation will raise issues related to the Sixth Schedule, statehood, and the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk along with 25 others detained after the September 24 protests. “We will also meet the high-powered committee of the MHA for further deliberations,” he added.
Tensions have remained high in Leh since authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), suspended mobile internet services, and closed educational institutions to prevent a silent march jointly called by the LAB and KDA. Heavy deployment of security forces thwarted the protest, which had been planned to mourn those killed and detained in the firing incident.
While the march was foiled in Leh, a peaceful demonstration took place in Kargil, where hundreds of people, led by KDA leaders Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili, marched from Hussaini Park to the main bus stand, carrying placards and wearing black armbands in solidarity with the victims. “We welcome the Centre’s decision to order a judicial inquiry into the September 24 violence and demand unconditional release of all detainees, including Sonam Wangchuk, and compensation for the families of those killed and injured,” the KDA leaders said.
Lakruk, who was reportedly placed under house arrest on the day of the march, criticised the restrictions as “undemocratic and unlawful.” “When the administration is scared of its own people, there must be something wrong,” he remarked in Leh. |
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