Curfew Partially Relaxed in Leh After Days of Violence

The curfew restrictions have been relaxed in the violence hit Leh town of Ladakh. This is the first time in three days when the curfew was suspended in a phased manner for a few hours to provide relief to the residents who lined up outside shops selling essential commodities. 

Following the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) the day before, police and paramilitary forces stepped up patrols and checks since early this morning to maintain law and order, officials said, adding that no untoward incidents were reported from anywhere during the relaxation period.

According to S D Singh Jamwal, the Director General of Police, Ladakh, curfew was loosened for a total of four hours.

“We have taken a decision (to ease restrictions). The curfew is relaxed for two hours from 1 PM to 3 PM in the first phase in old city areas, followed by a two-hour relaxation in new areas from 3.30 pm to 5.30 PM,” Director General of Police, Ladakh, S D Singh Jamwal told reporters here.

Following widespread violence that left four people dead and 90 injured during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to advance negotiations with the Centre on the demands for statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, the town's curfew was imposed on Wednesday evening.

The limitations were loosened following a high-level security assessment meeting at Raj Bhavan that was convened by Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta.

According to officials, police parties used public address systems to announce the curfew relaxation on Saturday. Shortly after, stores selling necessities opened, and there was a significant rush.

They added that the leisure time went off without incident in the old city neighbourhoods and that people were spotted waiting in considerable numbers outside ATMs while the police and CRPF men maintained a vigil.

After a Pakistani intelligence agent was arrested last month for sending videos of Wangchuk's rallies across the border, Jamwal claimed Wangchuk is being investigated for supposedly having ties to Pakistan.

He called Wangchuk the "main ring leader" responsible for the violence on Wednesday.

Regarding the attendance at the funeral of the four victims of Wednesday's violence, the DGP stated that every preparation had been taken to enable their family members to participate in their final ceremonies.

“We do not want anyone to have any type of inconvenience during the funeral,” he said.

He said the job of the police is to maintain law and order and “we are involved in that”.

In a statement issued late Friday night, the Lt Governor-led administration justified the detention of Wangchuk, saying a series of alleged provocative speeches by him, 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.

According to the official, police and paramilitary forces have increased their patrolling and checking in the sensitive regions, and raids are being conducted to apprehend the rioters who have fled, including a councillor who is accused of starting the violence.

Following the skirmishes, more than fifty people were taken into custody, and other significant towns in the Union Territory, like Kargil, were still subject to stringent prohibitions against gatherings of five or more people.

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 alleged, 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.

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.

With PTI input.