Leh | The statehood for Ladakh movement descended into violence, arson and street clashes here on Wednesday, leaving four people dead and at least 80 injured, including 40 police personnel, officials said.
As the sun set on what is arguably the worst day of violence since 1989 in the cold desert region, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk called off his fortnight-long hunger strike to press for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, while authorities clamped curfew in the Leh district.
Groups of youths, indulging in arson and vandalism, targeted the headquarters of the BJP and the Hill Council and set ablaze vehicles. Police and paramilitary forces, deployed in strength across the town, lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control, the officials said.
With at least six of those injured in a critical condition, there are fears the death toll could go up.
The Centre alleged that the mob violence was guided by the "provocative statements" of activist Wangchuk, and certain "politically motivated" individuals were not happy with the progress made in the ongoing talks between the representatives of the government and Ladakhi groups.
In a statement, the Union Home Ministry said barring a few unfortunate incidents that happened early on Wednesday, the situation was brought under control by 4 pm and asked everyone not to circulate old and provocative videos in the media and social media.
"The government stands committed to the aspiration of the people of Ladakh by providing adequate constitutional safeguards," the statement said.
The home ministry said the hunger strike was started by Wangchuk on September 10, pressing the demand for Ladakh's inclusion in the Sixth schedule and statehood.
"It is well known that the Government of India has been actively engaged with the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance. Series of meetings were held with them through formal channel of High Powered Committee (HPC) as well as sub-committee and multiple informal meetings with leaders," the statement said.
"However, certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress made under HPC and have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process," it said.
The next meeting of the High Powered Committee has been scheduled on October 6, while meetings are also planned on 25th and 26th September with the leaders from Ladakh.
Terming the events as heart-wrenching, Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta said everyone has the right to speak up in a peaceful manner in a democratic system, but what happened today was not spontaneous and was the result of a conspiracy. “We will not spare those people who have spoiled the atmosphere here.”
Curfew has been imposed as a precautionary measure to prevent more casualties, Gupta said while addressing the people of Ladakh.
Asserting that he stood with the people of the UT, especially the youth, the LG urged them to help restore peace in Ladakh, which last saw major violence on August 27, 1989, during an agitation demanding Union Territory status that left three persons dead in police firing.
The morning began with a complete shutdown in the Ladakh capital and hundreds of people took to the streets. As the day progressed, flames and dark smoke clouds could be seen from afar.
The police resorted to firing and teargas shelling to bring the situation under control after the protesters indulged in widespread violence, officials said.
The Leh Apex Body (LAB) youth wing called for the protest after two of the 15 people, who were on a 35-day hunger strike since September 10, were shifted to a hospital because their condition deteriorated on Tuesday evening.
Congress leader and councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag was booked for allegedly making a provocative speech at the hunger strike venue on Tuesday.
The BJP alleged that the violence was a part of the Congress' nefarious design to create situations in the country similar to Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines.
"Today in Ladakh, an attempt was made to portray some protests as being led by 'Gen Z' but when an investigation was carried out, it was found that this was not a Gen Z protest but actually a Congress protest," BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters in Delhi.
The fast was to push the Centre to resume dialogue in support of their four-point demand - statehood, extension of the Sixth Schedule, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil and reservation for employment.
Addressing an online press conference, Wangchuk said the fact that Tsering Angchuk (72) and Tashi Dolma (60) were taken to a hospital was most likely the immediate trigger for the violent protest.
With the situation worsening rapidly, he stepped in with an appeal and an announcement that he was cutting short the fast.
"I request the youth of Ladakh to stop the violence forthwith as it only causes harm to our cause and further deteriorates the situation. We do not want instability in Ladakh and the country,” he told his supporters.
Teargas shells were heard in the backdrop.
“This is the saddest day for Ladakh and for myself personally because the path we are treading for the last five years was peaceful... We held hunger strikes on five occasions and walked from Leh to Delhi, but today we are seeing our message of peace failing because of the incidents of violence and arson,” Wangchuk said.
He also appealed to the administration to stop firing teargas shells and urged the government to be more sensitive. “We are ending our fast immediately... the aim of the hunger strike is not fulfilled if our youth lose their lives.”
“It is time to carry forward the dialogue with a cool mind. We will keep our agitation non-violent and I also want to ask the government to listen to our message of peace...when the message of peace is ignored, such a situation arises,” he said.
The Constitution's Sixth Schedule, meant for the tribal population of the four northeast states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam, makes special provisions in terms of governance, powers of the president and the governor, type of local bodies, alternate judicial mechanisms and financial powers exercised through autonomous councils.
The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have been jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of their demands and have held several rounds of talks with the government in the past.
Tension had been building up since Tuesday evening.
Responding to the protest call, Leh town shut down on Wednesday, and large crowds assembled at the NDS memorial ground and later took out a march through the streets of the town, chanting slogans in support of the Sixth Schedule and statehood, officials said.
Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, "It needs to be handled with sensitivity and a forensic examination of why and how a peaceful protest suddenly turned violent."
"A clinical analysis of the ground situation is imperative, especially identification of the impulses that went in that turned the protest violent and who really are these violent protesters," Tewari said in a post on X.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the situation in the Leh town should be an eye-opener on how people of J&K feel about the denial of statehood, even though Ladakh had not been promised one.
The Left, however, attacked the Modi government for being "responsible" for the violence.
After nearly four months of stalled talks, the Centre on September 20 extended an invitation to the LAB and KDA for the talks - 10 days after Wangchuk began the hunger strike.
Former MP and LAB chairperson Thupstan Chhewang, who had resigned from the body after the last round of talks on May 27, has returned to the helm and is likely to lead the joint delegation during the negotiations.
The Congress opted out of the LAB after some constituents expressed the view that the LAB delegation should be non-political in view of the Leh Hill Council elections next month.
