Ladakh: Protestors start flocking to the site early morning. By 11 am, the site is brimming with the old and the young alike. Elderly women take the front row, with the men in tow. No slogans can be heard. Instead, one can hear the elderly with their handheld mane (prayer wheel) chanting ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ — hoping their prayers would bring peace.
Youngsters hold placards and corner whatever space they can find. It is not unusual to see young boys sitting in a circle watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) and cheering for Dhoni or the Chennai Super Kings.
As many as a hundred protestors can be seen at the protest site any given day, among them are few who spend the night at the Martyr’s Ground despite sub-zero temperatures.
It’s been more than a month since the people here came together for a peaceful protest to demand that the central government include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The protest began with educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk sitting on a ‘climate fast’ at the Martyr’s Ground in Leh to amplify this demand.
Having survived on water and salt for 21 days, Wangchuk ended his fast on 26 March, but said the protest to demand a separate legislature and statehood for Ladakh, besides its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, will continue.
Thousands from Kargil, Leh and Nubra Valley, among other parts of Ladakh, had joined the protest to add their voice to the demand. The central government is reportedly considering a special provision for Ladakh along the lines of Article 371, but has made it clear that it would not be possible to include the UT in the Sixth Schedule or grant it a legislature.
ThePrint’s Manisha Mondal brings you some glimpses from the protest in Leh, Ladakh.
Protesters, including Sonam Wangchuk, have also called for measures to safeguard the fragile economy and indigenous culture of Ladakh.
