Delegation urges compensation for families of victims, presses statehood demands
New Delhi: In the first sign of a thaw, leaders from Ladakh met representatives of the Union home ministry in New Delhi on Wednesday for sub-committee-level talks and demanded the immediate release of all arrested leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuck, the prominent face of the agitation who has been detained under the National Security Act (NSA) at Jodhpur prison.
Representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) also demanded adequate compensation for the next of kin of those killed during the recent unrest.
Lok Sabha MP Mohmad Haneefa from Ladakh, who attended the meeting, said the leaders participated with an open mind to achieve a positive outcome on their long-standing demand for statehood for Ladakh.
“This was our first meeting, and we can’t expect much from it. But we raised the issue of the immediate release of all those arrested on or after September 24, including Sonam Wangchuck,” he told reporters after the talks.
Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance said the delegation pressed for the release of detainees and compensation for those killed in police firing. “We are hopeful that the government will respond positively to our demands,” he said.
Talks between the Centre, LAB, and KDA had earlier broken down after four protesters were killed and several were injured during widespread violence in Leh on September 24. Both organisations had stayed away from the October 6 meeting of the high-powered committee of the Home Ministry.
The invitation for the talks had originally been sent by the Centre on September 20, while the last round of discussions took place in May.
Wangchuck, currently lodged in Jodhpur jail, was detained under the NSA, which empowers the Centre and states to hold individuals to prevent actions deemed “prejudicial to the defence of India.” The maximum detention period under the NSA is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.
On October 17, the home ministry announced a judicial inquiry commission headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan, a retired Supreme Court judge, to probe the September 24 violence in Leh. The commission will investigate the circumstances leading to the law-and-order breakdown, the police action, and the resultant deaths of four civilians.
Retired district and sessions judge Mohan Singh Parihar will serve as the judicial secretary, while IAS officer Tushar Anand has been appointed as the administrative secretary of the inquiry commission.
The clashes between security forces and protesters, who were demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory, left four civilians dead and around 90 injured, further intensifying the months-long agitation.
The appointment of a retired Supreme Court judge addresses a key demand by local groups for a high-level, impartial judicial probe. The move is also seen as an attempt to restore dialogue with the LAB and KDA, which had suspended talks after the violence.
The main issues on the discussion agenda with the high-powered committee remain the core demands of the LAB and KDA, constitutional safeguards and greater political autonomy for Ladakh, which was carved out as a Union Territory in 2019.
Their demands include full statehood with a legislative assembly, protection of Ladakh’s unique culture, fragile ecosystem, and land rights through Autonomous District Councils, allocation of two Lok Sabha seats, creation of a dedicated recruitment body to address unemployment, and job reservations for local residents.
