New Delhi: Four members of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, a Kargil-based organisation spearheading the movement demanding statehood in Ladakh, gathered at the Press Club of India in Delhi on 30 September, demanding the release of jailed activist Sonam Wangchuk and other detainees. Not just that, they demanded an independent judicial probe into the 24 September firing in Ladakh, which killed four persons.
“We will not talk to the Centre till our demands are fulfilled. If need be, we will start another agitation,” said Sajjad Kargili, a member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
On 24 September, the reported peaceful protest for statehood and constitutional safeguards turned violent in Leh. A mob of young men went on a rampage, attacking government buildings, including the BJP office, and pelting stones. Four civilians were shot dead, and several were injured in the police firing that followed. Two days later, Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike since 10 September, was taken into preventive custody under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and shifted to Jodhpur jail.
With Leh under curfew, the KDA, including MP Mohammed Haneefa, has reached the national capital. And they are holding conferences against the police violence and the subsequent arrest of the environmentalist. Their visit coincides with the visit of Gitanjali Angmo, wife of Wangchuk, to Delhi. Angmo told ThePrint that she came to Delhi to “make her voice heard.”
Following the violence and the arrest, KDA and the Apex Body Leh (ABL) have come together to “save the future of Ladakh”.
“For years, we have been having talks with the Centre about our major demands, but it has not been fruitful. We have protested in Kargil, Leh and Jammu, even at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, but nothing came out of it. Now, we will not keep quiet till the demands are fulfilled,” Asgar Karbalai, former Chief Executive Councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil.
Ladakh L-G defends action
On Monday, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta defended the police action, saying the entire Union Territory would have “burnt down” if they hadn’t opened fire.
But the members of the KDA had a question: “Was the police trying to pacify the protestors—or kill them?”
“All the injuries on those who died were to the head, chest, and upper body,” said Haji Hanifa Jan, Ladakh MP. “The police could have fired in the air to disperse the crowd—or at worst, shot in the leg.”
All the KDA members referred to the deceased as shaheeds (martyrs). Sajjad Kargili, a former student activist, said that standard crowd control measures, like barricades, lathis, or tear gas, were ignored.
“But here they simply shot them. I met the families and was horrified to hear the details of the brutality. We even heard one of them was shot in the helmet,” Kargili said.
Also read: Sonam Wangchuk’s wife in Delhi. ‘Not allowed to speak to him, felt like I was under house arrest’
‘Ladakhis are nationalists’
But there was something common that all KDA members kept repeating—that they are nationalists. And to make their point, they spoke about how Ladakhis had stood by the Indian Army during the Kargil War.
“Ladakhis have always stood by the nation. They have proved it time and again during the Kargil War and other conflicts,” one of them said. “But when we speak up for our rights, we are connected to Pakistan and China,” said Karbalai.
Karbalai was referring to a statement by Ladakh DGP SD Singh Jamwal. Two days ago, Jamwal said that they were “probing alleged Pakistani links” after Wangchuk’s arrest. This brought to light a rare moment of unity between Kargil and Leh, who often have differences over several issues.
“But we are united in our fight for statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule,” said Kargili.
Meanwhile, the Centre on Monday said that they have always been open to dialogues on Ladakh matters with ABL and KDA. “We would continue to welcome the discussion with ABL and KDA through the High Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh or any such platform,” the Centre said.
The dialogue mechanism over Ladakh has yielded good results to date in the form of increased reservations to the Scheduled Tribes of Ladakh, providing women’s reservations in LAHDCs and protection to local languages, it said, adding, “The process of recruitment for 1,800 posts in government has already commenced in UT of Ladakh. We are confident that continuous dialogue would yield the desired results in near future.”
However, the KDA and the ABL have refused to speak with the Centre, stating that “talks cannot be held at gunpoint.”
“They will kill our people and then say they are ready to talk?” asked Karbalai.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)