Leh, Kargil protests to take place today
SRINAGAR: The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have decided to go ahead with the mega protest rallies in Leh and Kargil districts and shutdown in Kargil in Ladakh UT on Monday against delay in talks with the Centre on the 6th Schedule and statehood.
Both groups have also demanded the release of two more detainees in addition to the withdrawal of cases against all 80, rejecting the administration’s outreach to defer the agitation despite climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s release.
KDA co-chairman Asgar Karbalai, told this newspaper, “The Kargil district will also be observing a shutdown while Leh will remain open”.
The decision follows an outreach by the administration seeking to persuade the leaders to postpone the protests.
According to Karbalai, the Ladakh chief secretary had approached leaders of both KDA and LAB and sought deferment of the protests. “However, we have decided to go ahead with the protest rallies and shutdown in Kargil, as the chief secretary had nothing concrete to offer,” he added.
It would be a major show and the biggest mobilisation in Ladakh after the September 24, 2025, protest rally in Leh, in which four persons were killed and 80 others injured in police firing. While welcoming the release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from jail after six months, Karbalai termed it an “incomplete step”.
“Two senior leaders, including former MLA Deldan Namgial and former councilor Smanla Dorjey, remain in detention, while 78 others are out on bail. We demand withdrawal of cases against all the 80 persons besides due compensation to the injured and justice to four killed in September 24, 2025, violence,” he added.
Karbalai reiterated that the core demands of the agitation remain the grant of Sixth Schedule status and full statehood for Ladakh, along with the resumption of stalled dialogue with the Centre. The last round of talks between Ladakh leaders and the Centre was held on February 4. The proposal, however, was rejected by Ladakh leaders.