In Brief
Ladakh Movement Turns Violent
4 Dead, 59 Injured in Violence
Demand for Statehood for Ladakh
(Leh Ladakh protest) The protest in Leh, Ladakh turned violent suddenly on Wednesday. In the clash between security forces and protesters, four people died and 59 were injured, including 22 police officers. As the situation went out of control, the district administration immediately imposed a curfew. The central government has held environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk responsible for this violence.
Various organizations have been protesting for the demand to grant statehood to Ladakh and implement the Sixth Schedule for the past few weeks. For the last 35 days, 15 people were on a hunger strike. On Tuesday, as the health of two hunger strikers deteriorated, they were admitted to the hospital. This increased the anger, and the youth called for a shutdown and organized a large march on Wednesday.
According to the information received, two to two and a half thousand youths took to the streets. While the speeches were ongoing, some groups started vandalizing while shouting slogans. Some vehicles were set on fire. To bring the situation under control, the police used tear gas shells and baton-charged. After this incident, Sonam Wangchuk expressed sorrow by ending his fast. He said that even though he has been protesting peacefully for the past five years, no concrete result has been achieved. I appeal to the young generation to discuss with the government peacefully. I urge the youth of Ladakh not to resort to violence, said Wangchuk.
The government has shown readiness to engage in dialogue with the protesters. The meeting originally scheduled for October 6 is likely to be moved to September 25 and 26. The main demands of the protesters include granting statehood to Ladakh, implementing the Sixth Schedule, creating separate constituencies for Leh and Kargil, and providing job reservations for locals.