Two days after the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, protest rallies were held in the towns of Leh and Kargil on Monday following a call from agitating groups demanding that the Centre resume talks on their key demands, including statehood for Ladakh and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India to the Union Territory.
Kargil and the neighbouring town of Drass also observed a complete shutdown. Security was heightened across the Union Territory in view of the protest call issued by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two organisations that have been leading the agitation for the past five years. Officials said no untoward incidents were reported.
The rally marked the first major mobilisation by the Leh Apex Body since violence broke out during protests in September last year, which led authorities to impose restrictions. It also came just two days after Wangchuk was released following nearly six months of detention under the National Security Act (NSA).
Both the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance had announced the protest before Wangchuk’s release, pressing the Centre to begin the next round of talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs, as promised during the meeting of the High-Powered Committee.
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The most recent round of talks between the groups and the Centre was held on February 4. During that meeting — the first since last year’s clashes — the organisations had demanded the release of Wangchuk along with around 70 other detainees.
Mukesh Singh, Director General of Police of Ladakh, visited the rally site at Singay Namgyal Chowk in Leh to review security arrangements. Additional police and security personnel were deployed throughout the town to maintain law and order.
Led by LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay, the protesters began their march from Singay Namgyal Chowk and proceeded to the Leh Polo Ground. A large number of participants, including many women, joined the rally, raising slogans in support of statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
Some protesters were also seen carrying photographs of the four people who were killed in firing after a LAB-backed protest turned violent in September last year.
A similar rally was organised in Kargil town, where KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbali, Member of Parliament Haneefa Jan, and activist Sajjad Kargilli, a member of the KDA, addressed the gathering.
The speakers reiterated their demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh. They also called for the release of two activists who remain in jail and sought the withdrawal of cases related to last year’s violence in Leh. Meanwhile, Kargil and Drass observed a complete shutdown in support of the protest. Speaking to reporters in Leh, Dorjay thanked people for participating in large numbers despite barricades on roads and restrictions imposed by the administration.
“I congratulate the people of Ladakh for maintaining complete peace despite strong provocation,” he said, describing the rally as a “big success.”
Dorjay also rejected claims by some critics that the Apex Body lacks public support. “Today, the people of Ladakh have shown that the public stands firmly with the Apex Body and the KDA,” he said.
Wangchuk, one of the leading faces of the agitation, had been detained under the National Security Act in September on allegations of instigating violence during the protests.
The Centre on Saturday announced that it had decided to revoke his detention in order to “facilitate constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.”
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