Ladakh statehood row: Government hopeful of 'desired results' post Leh Apex Body's preconditions

Leh: The Leh Apex Body (LAB), spearheading the agitation for statehood and constitutional safeguards in Ladakh, on Monday announced suspension of talks with the Centre until a judicial inquiry into the police firing is constituted and all activists, including Sonam Wangchuk, are released unconditionally.

LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang and co-chairman Chering Dorjay said the restoration of a "conducive atmosphere" in Ladakh was necessary before resuming dialogue.

Hardening its stand after the death of four protestors, the LAB said it would still rethink and join the talks on October 6 if the demands of ordering a judicial probe headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and releasing all prisoners were met by the government.

"We will urge the Home Ministry and the UT administration to take steps to address the atmosphere of fear, grief and anger that is there," the two leaders said.

The boycott was announced hours after the fourth victim, a former army soldier, was cremated amid heavy security in the curfew-bound capital of Ladakh.

Late in the evening, the Home Ministry came out with a brief statement saying the government has always been open to dialogues on Ladakh matters with LAB and KDA.

"We would continue to welcome the discussion with Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance through the High Powered Committee on Ladakh or any such platform," the statement said, pointing out the past results which had brought development and employment in the region.

"The dialogue mechanism...on Ladakh has yielded good results till date in the form of increased reservations to the Scheduled Tribes of Ladakh, providing women's reservation in LAHDCs and protection to local languages. The process of recruitment for 1800 posts in government has already commenced in UT of Ladakh.

"We are confident that continuous dialogue would yield the desired results in the near future," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Leh town remained subdued, with the curfew only briefly relaxed for two hours at 4 PM on Monday.

Tourists who travelled to the region are stranded, confined to their hotels, and unable to move or participate in sightseeing, with many expressing disappointment over the closed markets and suspended mobile internet services.

The ongoing unrest, which saw widespread violent protests on September 24, has already dealt a fresh blow to Ladakh's tourism industry, which stakeholders say was just recovering from earlier setbacks this season.

Chhewang, a two-time former Member of Parliament, said the decision on suspending talks was unanimous and added, "as long as peace is not restored and a conducive atmosphere is not created, we will not participate in any talks."

The LAB set clear preconditions for resuming dialogue with the Home Ministry's High Powered Committee, saying that the government must order a judicial probe by a retired Supreme Court judge into the killings and all arrested, including noted Wangchuk, who was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), must be released, besides revoking all cases.

Co-chairman Chering Dorjay warned that unless "right steps" are taken before the October 6 date, the LAB will not reconsider its decision to return to the table.

The leaders of the LAB strongly hit back at recent statements by the administration, which they say have levelled serious and intolerable allegations against the local populace and key figures like Wangchuk.

"The people of Ladakh will never tolerate the 'anti-national' or 'Pakistani agent' tag as they have always shown loyalty to the country," Chhewang said and demanded proof for the accusations, which reportedly suggested that protestors were "playing in the hands of foreign powers" and that Wangchuk was involved in "anti-national activities."

The leaders directly blamed the government for the violence and subsequent deaths, alleging that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) used "excessive force, killing and injuring our people and creating an atmosphere of fear, grief and anger."

Authorities have maintained that the security forces were forced to take action in self-defence as protesters indulged in violence.

The unrest is rooted in the widespread dissatisfaction with the Union Territory status granted in 2019, which the LAB claims failed to meet their expectations for justice.

"We felt that the safeguards provided to us under Article 370 and Article 35A were eroded along with democracy, prompting us to launch a fresh agitation for our genuine rights," Chhewang said.

The movement's core demands include statehood, extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, job reservation, a separate public service commission, and separate Lok Sabha seats.

Asked about the presence of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) representatives in Delhi in connection with the talks, Dorjay said, "We are on a single page...we have neither talked to them nor conveyed our decision (to stay away from talks) so far. Probably they will not have a second thought on this."

While the stand of KDA was not known after the decision of LAB, the alliance leader Sajjad Kagili had earlier in the day demanded immediate and unconditional release of Wangchuk and others and warned the Centre that its failure to meet Ladakh statehood and other core demands is "alienating" the people in the Himalayan region.

Chhewang explained the root of the renewed unrest, stating that while the Centre granted Union Territory (UT) status to Ladakh after a "long struggle of 70 years," the move in August 2019 was "not as per our expectations and justice."

He said the dialogue on their core four demands -- statehood, extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a separate job cadre and public service commission, and separate Lok Sabha seats-- had continued for five years.

However, the deadly violence on September 24 shattered the process. He stressed that the administration deployed this "excessive force" despite the LAB being in contact with the central government and preparing for the upcoming talks.

Meanwhile, the Ladakh tourism sector, already reeling from setbacks earlier this season, has been dealt another blow with the curfew in Leh following last week's violence.

Stakeholders said the industry was first hit by widespread cancellations after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, and the fresh disturbances have further dented travellers' confidence.