The Union government on Wednesday claimed that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk incited a group of protesters who set fire to the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Leh through his “provocative statements”.
In a statement, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs claimed that “certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress” in the ongoing talks between representatives of the government and Ladakh groups, and were “trying to sabotage the dialogue process”.
This came hours after violence and police firing in Leh that left four persons dead and more than 45 injured during protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Demonstrators clashed with and threw stones at the police, and set fire to a police vehicle.
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution guarantees protection for land and nominal autonomy for citizens in designated tribal-dominated areas. In Ladakh, more than 97% of the population belongs to the Scheduled Tribes.
In its statement, the home ministry noted that Wangchuk had begun his hunger strike on September 10 to demand statehood for Ladakh.
“It is well known that Government of India has been actively engaged with Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance on same issues,” stated the ministry.
The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance were formed in 2020 to represent political and religious groups from Leh and Kargil. Both organisations have been demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
“Series of meetings were held with them through formal channel of high-powered committee as well as sub-committee and multiple informal meetings with leaders,” the statement added.
The ministry claimed that the dialogue had yielded “phenomenal results”, including an increase in reservations for the Ladakhi Scheduled Tribes from 45% to 84%, the introduction of one-third reservation for women in the councils and the declaration of Bhoti and Purgi as official languages.
It also said that the next meeting of the high-powered committee to discuss the demands had been scheduled for October 6, while discussions had also been planned on September 25 and September 26 with leaders from Ladakh.
“The demands on which Mr Wangchuk was on hunger strike are integral part of the discussion in HPC,” stated the ministry. “In spite of many leaders urging to call off the hunger strike he continued with the hunger strike and misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal.”
The Arab Spring was a wave of pro-democracy protests and uprisings that took place in West Asia and North Africa between 2010 and 2011, challenging some of the region’s authoritarian regimes.
Nepal had been plunged into a political crisis earlier this month after protests sparked by the Nepali government’s ban on 26 social media platforms. The agitation subsequently evolved into a broader protest against alleged corruption and misgovernance.
The demonstrations had been described as a protest mainly by “Gen Z”, generally referring to persons born between the late 1990s and 2010.
The Union home ministry claimed that a mob “instigated” by Wangchuk’s “provocative speeches” left the venue of the hunger strike at about 11.30 am and attacked the BJP office as well as a government office in Leh.
“They also put these offices on fire, attacked the security personnel, and torched police vehicle,” it said. “The unruly mob attacked the police personnel in which more than 30 police/CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] personnel were injured.”
The ministry claimed that the police had to resort to firing in self-defence. “Unfortunately, some casualties are reported,” it said.
The situation was brought under control by 4 pm, the ministry added.
It further claimed that Wangchuk ended his hunger strike as the protests turned violent and “left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation”.
“The government stands committed to the aspiration of people of Ladakh by providing adequate constitutional safeguards,” stated the ministry. “It is also requested that the people should not circulate the old and provocative videos in the media and social media.”
Meanwhile, the district administration in Leh has banned five or more persons from assembling. The order by the district magistrate said that no processions, rallies or marches can be held without prior written permission.
Following the violence, Wangchuk called off his hunger strike and urged restraint.
Demand for inclusion under Sixth Schedule
On August 5, 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
This, along with the lack of a legislature in Ladakh, has led to increasing insecurities among the residents of the Union Territory about their land, nature, resources and livelihoods and stoked fears that the region’s cultural identity and fragile ecosystem may be in jeopardy.
In this backdrop, civil society groups have been demanding that Ladakh be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution so that its identity can be protected.
The inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule would allow for the creation of autonomous development councils to govern land, public health and agriculture. Ten such councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, the only states where the Sixth Schedule has been implemented.
Wangchuk had on September 10 started a 35-day hunger strike to push for the demands. He has held several protests demanding constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, including a 21-day hunger strike ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In June, the Union government brought in an ordinance to amend the reservation policy in Ladakh. According to the ordinance, 85% of jobs and admissions in professional educational institutions in Ladakh shall be reserved for residents of the Union Territory.
However, civil society groups said that the ordinance was only the “first step” and that the core matters pertaining to statehood and Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule remained unaddressed.
‘Congress behind attack on BJP office’
The BJP on Wednesday claimed that the Opposition Congress was behind the protests in Leh, The Hindu reported. It also dismissed claims that the demonstrations were led by Gen Z.
At a press conference in New Delhi, BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that Congress Councillor Stanzin Tsepag, representing the Upper Leh ward, was the “instigator” of the protests.
He added that there were attempts made to portray the protests as being led by Gen Z.
“However, when investigated, it was discovered that these protests were not led by Gen Z, but by Congress,” The Hindu quoted Patra as saying. “He [Tsepag] is the main instigator, and numerous photos have surfaced of him and his workers instigating the violence.”
Patra added: “He can also be seen marching towards the BJP office with a weapon in his hand.”
Situation needs to be handled with sensitivity: Opposition
Meanwhile, Opposition parties on Wednesday said that the situation in Ladakh needed to be handled with sensitivity, adding that an analysis needed to be done on the ground to identify the reasons behind the violence.
Congress MP Manish Tewari noted that Ladakh was a border Union Territory.
“The stand off with China is not really yet over notwithstanding the multiple disengagements,” the Chandigarh MP said on social media. “It [the violence] needs to be handled with sensitivity and a forensic examination of why and how a peaceful protest suddenly turned violent.”
He added that a “clinical analysis of the ground situation is imperative especially identification of the impulses that went in that turned the protest violent and who really are these violent protesters”.
Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said that it was time for the Union government to undertakes a “sincere and thorough appraisal of what has truly changed” since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
“This video isn’t from the Kashmir Valley considered the epicentre of unrest but from the heart of Ladakh, where angry protesters have set police vehicles and a BJP office on fire,” she said on social while sharing a video of the violence.
Mufti added: “Leh, a region long known for its peaceful and measured protests, is now witnessing a disturbing shift toward violent demonstrations. People seem to have lost patience , feel betrayed, insecure, and let down by unfulfilled promises.”
She added that it was imperative that the Union government moved beyond “day to day crisis management and address the root causes of this discontent urgently and transparently”.
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