Leh under curfew for fourth day after Sonam Wangchuk held under National Security Act

Leh: Curfew remained in force for the fourth day in violence-hit Leh town of Ladakh on Saturday as police and paramilitary forces intensified patrolling and checking following the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) the previous day, officials said.

In a statement issued late Friday night, the Lt Governor-led administration justified the detention of Wangchuk and said his series of alleged provocative speeches, with references to the Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring, resulted in Wednesday's violence that left four persons dead and scores of others injured.

It said the detention of Wangchuk was "important to restore normalcy" in the peace-loving Leh town and also to prevent him from further acting in a manner "prejudicial to maintenance of public order".

"There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in Ladakh during the past 24 hours. The restrictions are in place to maintain law and order," an official said.

He said Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta is shortly chairing a high-level security review meeting at Raj Bhavan, and any decision to relax curfew will be taken accordingly.

The official said the patrolling and checking by police and paramilitary forces in the sensitive areas have been intensified, while raids are also underway to nab the absconding rioters, including a councillor who allegedly instigated the violence.

More than 50 persons were detained following the clashes, while strict restrictions under prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons also remained in force in other major towns of the Union Territory, including Kargil.

The Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Ladakh, in a statement late Friday night, said: "Time and again it has been observed that Wangchuk has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the state and detrimental to maintenance of peace and public order and services essential to the community." It said that despite clear communication from the government regarding the meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) and the offer of prior meetings before the HPC, Wangchuk, with his "ulterior motive", continued his hunger strike in the town from 10 September.

"His series of provocative speeches, references to Nepal agitations, Arab Spring, etc, and misleading videos resulted in the violent protests of 24 September in Leh, where institutions, buildings and vehicles were burnt down, and, in the aftermath, police personnel were attacked, leading to the unfortunate death of four individuals.

"The entire episode could have been avoided if he could have risen above his personal and political ambitions by calling off the hunger strike when the dialogue with the government was resumed on the same agenda," the statement said, referring to the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the region.

The statement said it was important to restore normalcy in the peace-loving Leh town of Ladakh.

"To ensure this, it is also important to prevent Wangchuk from further acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. In the backdrop of his provocative speeches and videos, for the larger public interest, it was not advisable to keep him in Leh district," the statement said.

It said the administration, based on specific inputs, took a considered decision to detain Wangchuk under the NSA and move him to Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan.