Centre orders judicial probe into September 24 violence in Leh by retired Supreme Court judge

New Delhi: The Centre on Friday moved to address a key demand of the protesting Ladakh groups by announcing a judicial inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court judge into the violent clashes of September 24 in Leh, which claimed the lives of four people, including a 1999 Kargil war veteran.

According to a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry, the judicial probe, to be headed by Justice B S Chauhan, a former judge of the Supreme Court, is mandated to investigate the “circumstances leading to the serious law and order situation, the police action and the resultant unfortunate deaths of four people”.

Retired district and sessions judge Mohan Singh Parihar will function as judicial secretary, while IAS officer Tushar Anand will be the administrative secretary of the inquiry commission.

The September 24 clashes between security forces and protesters – who were demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union territory – left four civilians dead and 90 injured, escalating a months-long agitation.

The appointment of a retired Supreme Court judge to head the inquiry directly addresses the demand by local groups for a high-level, impartial judicial investigation.

The announcement of the probe comes as an attempt to restore dialogue with the representatives of the ongoing movement, the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which suspended talks with the home ministry's high-powered committee (HPC) following the violence.

The talks with the HPC were scheduled on October 6, but after the violence and crackdown by the Ladakh administration, the Leh and Karil groups demanded the immediate release of all people arrested and detained, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and shifted to Jodhpur jail two days after the incident.

The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India". The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier by the local administration and has to be ratified by a board headed by a former high court judge.

The groups also demanded an end to the alleged harassment, summoning, and pressure tactics being used by the local administration and police against the local youth and civil society members.

The fresh move for a judicial inquiry is likely to pave the way for the resumption of dialogue with the HPC.

In its statement, the home ministry reiterated its commitment to continuous dialogue.

“The government has always been open for dialogues at any time, and it would continue to welcome discussion with the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) through the high-powered committee on Ladakh or any such platform,” the statement said.

"We are confident that continuous dialogue will yield the desired results in the near future. The government stands committed to the aspiration of the people of Ladakh," it said.

The main issues that were on the agenda for discussions with the HPC remain the core demands of the ABL and KDA, seeking constitutional safeguards and greater political autonomy for the Union territory created in 2019.

These demands include full statehood with its own legislative assembly to ensure greater political representation and self-governance, to protect the unique culture, fragile ecosystem, and land rights of the predominantly tribal population by granting Autonomous District Councils, two Lok Sabha seats, and the formation of a dedicated recruitment body to tackle high unemployment among the local youth, and ensure job reservations for Ladakh residents.