Leh Faces Ongoing Curfew on Day Five Amid Persisting Tensions

Srinagar: Leh and its neighbourhood continued to reel under curfew on the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, following violent protests that left four dead and over eighty injured earlier this week.

Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta led a high-level security review meeting at the LG Secretariat to assess the situation and discuss potential curfew relaxations. Addressing Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal, Director General of Police S.D. Singh Jamwal, and senior Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials, he emphasised the need for "vigilance, coordination, and public safety."

Gupta, praising residents for their restraint during Saturday’s relaxation in curfew, called for public cooperation to counter anti-social elements and ensure stability. He also urged collaborative efforts with public support to restore peace and tranquility in Leh, sources said.

An official statement cited him reaffirming the Government of India and the Union Territory administration's steadfast commitment to safeguarding Ladakh's security, stability, and overall well-being. He emphasised that upholding law and order is crucial for both peace and the region's development.

Imposed after Leh witnessed clashes during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Wednesday, the curfew was briefly relaxed in phases across different areas on a rotational basis on Saturday.

Police, CRPF, and ITBP maintain heavy patrolling and checkpoints in curfew-bound areas of Leh , with ITBP conducting a flag march on Sunday morning. Mobile internet services remain suspended, and prohibitory orders banning gatherings of five or more people are enforced in the Leh neighbourhood. Kargil, the other major town of Kargil, and surrounding regions continue to face stringent security measures under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Security Code 2023, prohibiting large gatherings.

Police chief Jamwal said that entire Ladakh has remained peaceful since Wednesday evening with no new violence reported.

Leh, the main town of Ladakh, was engulfed in turmoil as protests demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution escalated into violence on September 24. The violence, marked by arson and vandalism, saw hundreds of protesters, led by LAB’s youth wing, set fire to the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office, torch several vehicles, including a security vehicle, damaging the Ladakh Hill Council (Leh) headquarters and causing widespread disruption.

The police have defended opening fire on the protesters, saying that it was done in self defence. DGP Jamwal told a press conference in Leh on Saturday, “Firing by security forces was in self-defense, as evidenced by video footage,” noting that four civilian deaths occurred during the clashes. However, LAB has called for a judicial probe into the incidents, alleging that police and CRPF personnel fired indiscriminately on protesters without using non-lethal measures like water cannons or warning shots.

The LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), representing a broad coalition of political, religious, and social groups of Ladakh’s twin regions, have been advocating a four-point agenda: statehood for Ladakh, Sixth Schedule inclusion, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and the establishment of a Public Service Commission (PSC) to secure local employment opportunities.

The police have arrested over 50 persons, including Congress councillors Smanla Dorje Nurbo and Phutsog Stanzin Tsepak, LAB vice president Savin Rigzin, and village numberdar Rigzin Dorjey, for alleged rioting.

On Saturday, the four named individuals surrendered in court and were remanded to police custody, while others, including LAB youth leaders and students, were sent to judicial custody.

The Ladakh Bar Association, led by Muhammad Shafi Lassu, is providing pro bono legal aid, challenging custodial interrogations. Lassu asserts Nurbo was at a hospital during the protests and Tsepak was not the masked figure seen in protest footage.

On Friday, the police arrested climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) at his Leh residence and subsequently transferred him to a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, as authorities deemed it unsafe to detain him in Leh for “larger public interest.”

Authorities have accused 59-year-old Wangchuk of inciting violence through “provocative speeches” referencing the Nepal agitations and Arab Spring, as well as misleading videos, which they claim led to the violence on September 24. The administration stated that Wangchuk persisted with his hunger strike despite government offers for dialogue with the High-Powered Committee (HPC), alleging he is pursuing personal and political ambitions.

DGP Jamwal told a press conference in Leh on Saturday that multiple agencies are investigating potential covert activities linked to Wangchuk. He also disclosed that Ladakh Police recently apprehended a Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO) who was reportedly monitoring Wangchuk’s activities and relaying information to handlers across the border about which the police have documented evidence. “We also arrested a Pakistan PIO in the recent past who was in touch with him and reporting back across. We have a record of this”, he said.

The police chief said that Wangchuk attended an event hosted by the Dawn group of newspapers in Pakistan and visited Bangladesh, raising significant concerns about his activities. “He had attended a Dawn event in Pakistan. He also visited Bangladesh. So, there is a big question mark on him. Investigation is being done,” he said, adding that ongoing investigations include scrutiny of possible suspicious foreign funding.

Gitanjali Angmo, wife of Wangchuk, has dismissed allegations of a “Pakistan link” and financial irregularities against him. She called the accusation that Wangchuk incited violence in Leh “misplaced,” stating in a PTI interview that he has been protesting in the “most Gandhian way possible” and that the situation escalated on September 24 due to CRPF actions.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjays also categorically denied allegations of foreign involvement or external instigation in Wednesday’s violent protests. Dismissing allegations of outsiders’ involvement, he noted that claims of people from Doda, Nepal, Tibet, or Bihar being among the injured were misleading, as these were likely bystanders caught in the crossfire. “Leh has a significant outsider population. Indiscriminate firing would naturally harm them too,” he added.

Wangchuk’s arrest has triggered a wave of outrage across the country, with opposition leaders, civil society groups, and international observers condemning it as an authoritarian overreach.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been vocal in his criticism, framing the arrest as part of a broader pattern of suppression against Ladakh's indigenous voices. In a post on ‘X’, he said, “Ladakh's amazing people, culture, and traditions are under attack by the BJP and RSS. Ladakhis asked for a voice. The BJP responded by killing 4 young men and jailing Sonam Wangchuk. Stop the killing. Stop the violence. Stop the intimidation. Give Ladakh a voice. Give them the 6th Schedule.”

But the authorities in Leh and Delhi have strongly defended the action, terming the arrest as a necessary measure to restore order and counter alleged external influences amid escalating unrest.