Ladakh unrest: 4 dead, several injured as statehood protest turns violent; police vehicle set ablaze, curfew imposed

PTC Web Desk:  At least four people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday  as protesters clashed with the police during demonstrations demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for the region. Protesters, many observing a hunger strike, pelted stones at police personnel and set a police vehicle on fire, marking the first significant outbreak of violence amid the ongoing statehood movement.

Hundreds of residents participated in the protest, which included a complete shutdown of the city. The demonstrators also targeted the BJP office in Leh. In response, the police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds.

The unrest comes ahead of a scheduled government meeting with Ladakh representatives on October 6, aimed at resuming talks on the region’s demands. Over the past two weeks, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike, pressing for statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, who today called off his hunger strike as the protests turned violent prompting authorities to impose curfew. 

Ladakh became a separate Union Territory in August 2019 following the revocation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. Initially welcomed by many, including Wangchuk, discontent has grown over what residents describe as a political vacuum under the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.

For the first time, political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil have united under the Apex Body of Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance to press their demands. Earlier rounds of talks with the Central Government, including a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in March, failed to yield results, with local leaders stating that their demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections were rejected.