Politics News

Curfew remains in force for 5th day in Leh town

Leh: The last rites of two of the four youths killed in the September 24 violence were performed in curfew-bound Leh town on Sunday amid tight security, with no relaxation in restrictions, officials said. "The situation remained by and large normal with no untoward incident reported from anywhere," an official said, adding mobile internet services in the town remained suspended. Prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons also remained in force in other major parts of the Union Territory, including Kargil. The chorus of opposition leaders criticising the Centre's handling of the matter, including the detention of activist Sonam Wangchuk under NSA on Friday, grew louder with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleging that Ladakh's people, culture, and traditions were under attack by the BJP and RSS. He batted for the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. The curfew was imposed in Leh town on Wednesday evening following widespread violent protests during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to advance talks with the Centre on the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh. Four people were killed and scores of others were injured in clashes between protesters and security personnel, while over 50 people were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in rioting. Two Congress councillors, who were among those named in FIRs, surrendered in a local court on Saturday. The councillors - Smanla Dorje Nurbo and Phutsog Stanzin Tsepak -- along with vice president of Ladakh Buddhist Association Savin Rigzin and village numberdar Rigzin Dorjey were sent to police custody, President of Ladakh Bar Association, Leh, Mohammad Shafi Lassu said. He said the police only sought the custody of these four men, while the rest, including the youth leaders of Leh Apex Body and Ladakh Buddhist Association and students, were remanded in judicial custody. Curfew was relaxed for the first time on Saturday for four hours in Leh town, where an uneasy calm prevailed. Officials said Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta chaired a high-level security review meeting this morning. Taking into consideration the last rites of two of the slain youth, the authorities decided not to relax the curfew as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order, they said. They said the last rites of the youngsters were performed as per the Ladakhi tradition and customs amid tight security arrangements. Police and CRPF personnel in full riot gear were seen deployed in strength in the curfew-bound areas, while ITBP personnel were also seen staging a flag march during the day. The Bar Association has taken up all the cases related to violence pro bono and is seeking the release of all the arrested persons facing charges under various sections of law. "We even challenged the public prosecutor when he sought the custody of four persons. The court accepted our plea for their questioning in the presence of their counsel and also a mandatory check-up after every eight hours," Lassu said. He claimed all the arrested, including the councillors, are innocent. " "Tsepak was not the masked person who was shown leading the unruly protesters in photographs or video clips, while Nurbo was in hospital taking care of two elderly persons from his constituency who had fallen seriously ill during the hunger strike on the evening of September 23," the lawyer claimed. In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "Ladakh's amazing people, culture, and traditions are under attack by the BJP and RSS." "Ladakhis asked for a voice. The BJP responded by killing 4 young men and jailing Sonam Wangchuk. Stop the killing. Stop the violence. Stop the intimidation," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. "Give Ladakh a voice. Give them the 6th Schedule," he added. Wangchuk is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan after he was detained under the stringent National Security Act for allegedly inciting the violence in Leh with his speeches. Terming the charge that Wangchuk incited the violence in Leh as "misplaced", his wife Gitanjali Angmo claimed that he has been protesting in the "most Gandhian way possible" and the "situation escalated" on September 24 due to the actions of the CRPF. Talking to PTI over the phone, Angmo, the co-founder of Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL), said she has not been able to communicate with her husband since his detention and dismissed all allegations against the climate activist and their institutions. Ladakh DGP S D Singh Jamwal has said Wangchuk is being probed for allegedly having links with Pakistan on the back of last month's arrest of a Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) who sent videos of his protests across the border. The police chief also cited some of Wangchuk's "suspicious" foreign trips, including to Pakistan to attend an event by The Dawn. Denouncing the allegations of Pakistan links involving her husband, Angmo said all of Wangchuk's overseas visits were made on the invitation of reputed universities and institutions. "We attended a conference organised by the United Nations, and it was on climate change. The glacier on the top of the Himalayas is not going to see whether I'm flowing into Pakistan or India," she told PTI. She said the 'Breathe Pakistan' conference held in February was organised by the United Nations Pakistan and Dawn Media, and involved multinational cooperation. "There are organisations like the ICIMOD, which bring together all the eight Hindu Kush countries and work on different issues. We are part of the ICIMOD's Himalayan University Consortium," Angmo said. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a Nepal-based organisation founded in 1983 comprising eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. "I was also there to present a paper on women's role in climate change... In fact, he (Wangchuk) praised Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi on stage at the event. "The Nepal and Bangladesh reference being bandied around is actually an example Sonam gave, i.e., 'when governments are not responsive, it leads to a revolution'. We should avoid the interpretations," she said. Angmo also challenged the slapping of the stringent NSA on Wangchuk, which allows detention without a trial for up to 12 months, citing his long record of peaceful protests. "I think it is a very wrong charge. Sonam certainly is not a threat to any public order," Angmo said. She claimed that Wangchuk advocated for his cause in the "most Gandhian way possible" over the last five years, reminding the government of its promises to Ladakhis, and all through maintaining that the protest organised by the Leh Apex Body was peaceful, and the charge that Wangchuk incited the violence was misplaced. "We have videos to show that the students and the youth were just there for a peaceful protest. Sonam did not even know about (a non-peaceful plan)," she claimed, adding, "He only knew about a peaceful protest. But when the CRPF personnel fired tear gas shells, the youth reacted by pelting stones, and the whole situation escalated." Angmo also questioned the response by the security forces, saying, "My question is, who gave the CRPF the right to open fire? Why should you open fire on your own people, on your own youth?" On the allegation that Wangchuk made a provocative speech, Angmo claimed his Ladakhi words were taken out of context and mistranslated. "He just said that 'when change has to happen, it can start with one individual, or with the death of one individual and that individual could be me; I'm happy to give my life for it'," she said. She also questioned the logic behind the alleged attempt to portray Wangchuk as an anti-national, saying, "How can you portray a person as anti-national who has been talking about making shelters for the Indian Army, and boycotting Chinese goods?" On the charges of financial irregularities involving their institutions, Angmo presented a detailed defence about the foreign funding of HIAL, UGC registration, FCRA cancellation of SECMOL and land allotment. Angmo denied that HIAL took donations from abroad without Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) clearance, claiming the funds were payments for their technologies. "We have the service agreements, which say this is a consulting assignment that we're giving to HIAL for which we will be paying them," she said. She also said that HIAL does not charge its 400 students any fees and raises its running costs through innovations such as ice stupas and passive solar buildings, noting they do not patent their technologies, leaving them free for public use. Angmo said HIAL applied for UGC registration in 2022 and paid a deposit amount of Rs 15 lakh, but "if at all the registration has not happened, it's because they are stalling it". She also claimed that the lease for HIAL's land is held up because the UT administration did not have a category for such institutions, adding that "while questions are being raised on HIAL, the Sindhu Central University, which started in 2021, still doesn't have a building". Angmo stressed that Wangchuk is not against development, but is advocating for the Sixth Schedule to give locals a say in "mindful development". She pointed to HIAL's suggestion to use translucent solar panels in Changthang to grow fodder for Pashmina goats alongside electricity production. "This kind of mindful development is what he's talking about... HIAL is at the forefront of innovation. It is not that he's anti-development," Angmo said. After the September 4 violence, the Union home ministry cancelled the FCRA licence granted to the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), an organisation founded by Wangchuk, citing alleged financial discrepancies. In another development, a group of scientists on Sunday condemned the detention of Wangchuk and demanded his immediate release. The Breakthrough Science Society (BSS) also urged the Union Government to engage in constructive dialogue with Wangchuk to address the pressing concerns of the people of Ladakh and to protect its fragile environment. The BSS recalled that Wangchuk had undertaken a 21-day climate fast in March 2024 and also marched on foot from Leh to Delhi to draw attention to the vulnerability of the high Himalayas to climate change. "This consistent history of non-violent action demonstrates his unwavering commitment to peaceful protest. Mr Wangchuk has also denied any role in the violent incidents that occurred in Ladakh on 24 September 2025," the BSS statement said.

Latest Stories

Read Full Story