Curfew Continues in Leh After Violent Protests, Ladakh Festival Cancelled
Leh (The Uttam Hindu): Following violent protests in Leh, curfew remained in force on Thursday. The situation in the city is currently under control, with restrictions imposed by the District Magistrate being strictly enforced. Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta warned of strict action against miscreants and expressed solidarity with the people of Ladakh, describing them as peace-loving and law-abiding.
Meanwhile, the four-day annual Ladakh Festival was cancelled after the violence. Thursday was meant to be the final day of the festival, which LG Gupta was scheduled to attend. A day earlier, clashes between protesters and security forces had left four protesters dead and 40 injured. The mob set vehicles on fire, torched the local BJP office, and partially damaged the Hill Council office.
A case was filed against Congress leader and councilor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech at the protest site. The Ministry of Home Affairs held activist Sonam Wangchuk and other hunger strikers responsible for instigating the violence. Protesters torched the BJP office, Leh Hill Council office, and a CRPF vehicle. Several other vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting. Police and paramilitary forces resorted to firing, tear gas, and baton charge to prevent further damage to public property and harm to security personnel.
Following the incident, the BJP accused the Congress of instigating the unrest. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya alleged on social media platform ‘X’ that Congress councilor from Saspol, Smanla Dorje Norbu, openly challenged the administration, saying even heavy CRPF deployment could not stop protesters from storming the BJP Ladakh office. He further claimed Norbu personally incited people to attack the BJP office on September 24, after which a mob set the building on fire.
The protests, led by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) youth wing, demanded an early dialogue with the Centre instead of waiting for the scheduled October 6 meeting. Their key demands include statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and reservation in jobs. For the past four years, LAB in Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have jointly been pressing these demands, holding multiple rounds of talks with the Home Ministry. However, tensions had been escalating since Tuesday evening.