Ladakh leaders brace for fresh confrontation with Union government on statehood, sixth schedule demands

Over five months after the Union Territory of Ladakh witnessed violent protests over demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards on land and jobs under the Sixth Schedule, the region's political leaders and civil society members are set for a fresh confrontation with the Central government.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB), an organisation of civil society members and politicians, has urged people to take to the streets on March 12 over the delay by the Central government in meeting their demands and its failure to withdraw cases registered against those who protested last year.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay said they had called for a peaceful rally due to the delay in the release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the lack of progress in the judicial probe into the deaths during last year’s demonstrations. Last year, Wangchuk had sat on a hunger strike demanding statehood before he was arrested and lodged in a jail in Rajasthan following violence in the region.

“We were forced to announce a peaceful rally as cases continue to remain lodged against those who were demonstrating last year,” Dorjay said.

The call for a rally has come barely a month after a joint delegation of LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), an organisation of politicians and civil society members from Kargil, met the high-powered committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after submitting a draft proposal outlining their demands. The meeting, however, saw little headway, with the Central government raising questions over the key demand of statehood. Leaders of the KDA also criticised the Centre’s stance.

KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai said the government had argued that granting statehood to Ladakh would “raise financial concerns”.

“The Central government asked us how Ladakh would generate resources to run a state and said the Sixth Schedule would not be beneficial,” Karbalai said. “We pointed out that if the Sixth Schedule works for states in the Northeast, why should it not work for Ladakh?”

However, some local leaders have also expressed reservations about LAB’s statehood proposal.

The convener of the Voice of Buddhist Ladakh (VBL) Skarma Namtak said the draft proposal of LAB included a provision to increase taxes, which has triggered concerns among sections of the population. “It is unacceptable if livestock or traditional products like shawls are taxed,” Namtak said.

He instead suggested the creation of a territorial council with 21 members, along with separate hill councils for each of Ladakh’s seven districts, as a political solution. According to him, the chairman of the territorial council could be vested with powers similar to those of a chief minister.

The LAB has also raised concerns over the delay in the finalisation of the report of the judicial commission constituted to probe last year’s violence. Earlier, the group submitted its statement before the judicial panel, alleging that attempts were being made to cover up the role of security personnel who opened fire on demonstrators.

According to the organisation, several youths who had no role in the violence were later booked in criminal cases. The allegations have also been echoed by the Congress party and Anjuman-e-Moin-ul-Islam, a religious organisation in Leh, both of which have demanded accountability for the deaths during the protests.

In its written submission to the probe panel, LAB questioned the circumstances under which some police personnel were shown as injured days after the violence.

“Some police personnel were hospitalised several days after the September 24 incident, which raises questions about the timing and intention behind presenting them for medical examination,” the submission stated. It added that the matter should be thoroughly investigated to rule out any attempt to fabricate counterclaims of injury.

Gelek Phunchok, a member of LAB’s organising committee, said the government had promised that talks on statehood and Sixth Schedule protections would resume within two weeks after a meeting held in February.

“More than 30 days have passed since that meeting, but there has been no further engagement from the government. The findings of the judicial commission have not been finalised yet, while people continue to face cases for last year’s protests,” Phunchok said.