SRINAGAR: Restrictions under Section 163 continued in Ladakh’s violence-hit areas on Thursday, a day after clashes over statehood and Sixth Schedule demand left four dead and 80 injured, with a shutdown in neighbouring Kargil.
The police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength in the riot-hit Leh district and are keeping close watch on the situation.
The shops, business establishments, government offices and educational institutions remained closed in the district on Thursday.
A police official said restrictions under Section 163 of BNSS are being enforced strictly.
“The situation is under control and adequate security men have been deployed on the roads to maintain law and order and peace,” he said.
Four people were killed and 80 others injured, some of them critically, in the violent clashes between protesting youth and security personnel in Leh district headquarters yesterday.
Hundreds of youth took to the roads in Leh yesterday to stage a protest in support of their demand for the grant of Sixth Schedule status and statehood to the Ladakh UT, which was bifurcated from erstwhile J&K state.Protests turned violent as angry youth set fire to the BJP office, the CEC Leh Hill Council office, police and CRPF vehicles, and damaged several private and government vehicles.
As the clashes intensified, the security personnel resorted to firing. It was for the first time in Ladakh’s history that the region had seen violent protests.
After the violence, climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk called off his 35-day hunger strike on demand for statehood and Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh.
Wangchuk appealed to the youth not to follow a violent path and instead tread the path of nonviolence. “The resort of violence will defeat our five-year efforts and agitation for statehood and Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh,” Wanghuck said.
He said the protest by youth was an outburst of their anger, a type of Gen Z revolution. “For five years, they are unemployed and jobs are denied to them and democratic rights are not granted to them. I have been saying that unemployment and denial of democratic rights is the cause of social unrest in the society”.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), however, blamed Sonam Wanghuck’s provocative speeches for unrest in Leh.
“It is clear that the mob was incited by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements. Incidentally, amidst these violent developments, he broke his fast and left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation,” the MHA statement said.
On allegations by LAB and KDA that MHA was delaying talks and should postpone the October 6 talks, MHA said, “The process of dialogue through has yielded phenomenal results by increasing reservations for Ladakh scheduled tribe from 45% to 84%, providing 1/3 women reservations in the councils and declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. With this, process for recruitment of 1800 posts was also commenced”.
"However, certain politically motivated individuals who were not happy with the progress made under HPC have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process. The next meeting of the High-Powered Committee has been scheduled on Sixth October, while meetings are also planned on 25th and 26th September with the leaders from Ladakh," it reads.
The MHA said over 30 police/CRPF personnel were injured in the mob attacks in Leh yesterday. “In self-defence, police had to resort to firing in which unfortunately some casualties are reported. The situation was brought under control by 4 PM”.
Meanwhile, LAB chairman and former BJP MP Thupstan Chhewang said a peaceful shutdown was observed yesterday, with some violence in Leh. “Three to four youth were martyred in the cause,” he said, adding, “the sacrifices of the youth won’t go in vain.”
“LAB will continue to fight for the cause of people. I appeal to the central government and Home Minister Amit Shah that Ladakh is a very sensitive place and such incidents are neither in the interest of the country nor in interest of national security. We know that two enemies of our country are on the border and they would like to benefit from it. We are nationalists and believe in the constitution of India. Whatever struggle we have staged so far has been peaceful and within democratic norms,” Thupstan said.
“I don’t want to blame the youth for the violence but the Indian government is also responsible as for such a long time our agitation is going on, they should have made efforts to peacefully resolve the issue. There was a delay on their part”.
“On behalf of Ladakh people, I appeal to the Home Ministry that the central government should restart the dialogue process soon and resolve key issues including grant of Sixth schedule and statehood with legislature,” the LAB chairman said.
Meanwhile, a complete shutdown is being observed in Kargil district on the call of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in support of their demand for grant of 6th Schedule and statehood to LAdakh and preponing of talks by the Centre from October 6 to this month.
The authorities have also imposed restrictions under Section 163 BNSS in Kargil district and banned the processions and assembly of more than four persons at a single place.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre abrogated Article 370 and 35A and downgraded and bifurcated the erstwhile J&K state into two UTs --- Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature).
After the abrogation of Article 370 and the downgrading and bifurcation of the erstwhile J&K state into two UTs, people in Leh had celebrated the decision, while those in the Kargil district had opposed the move.
However, later parties in Leh joined hands with political, religious and trade leaders of Kargil to jointly agitate for 4-point demands to safeguard the local identity and fragile environment of the UT.
The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which is an amalgam of various political, social, trade and religious groups of Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh UT, have been spearheading peaceful agitation by holding series of protests and sit-ins in Ladakh, Jammu and Delhi to press the centre to fulfil their 4-point demands --- grant of statehood (with legislature), 6th Schedule status, separate Public Service Commission and two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh UT.