Rahul Gandhi charged PM Modi with betraying Ladakh's people by failing 2019 promises on autonomy, linking it to the police firing that killed four, including Kargil veteran Tsewang.
He called for an impartial judicial probe into the Leh killings and the harshest punishment for those responsible, urging an end to "politics of violence."
The deaths occurred amid ongoing statehood agitations over land rights and representation, with Congress amplifying claims of government abandonment.
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accused Narendra Modi government of betraying the people of Ladakh amid escalating protests over statehood demands. Gandhi demanded an immediate judicial probe into the police firing that killed four civilians, including a Kargil war veteran, in Leh on Wednesday, labeling the incident as a tragic outcome of unfulfilled promises and suppressed voices.
The controversy erupted following violent clashes in Leh, the capital of the Union Territory of Ladakh, where demonstrators demanding full statehood and protection of local rights clashed with security forces. According to reports, police opened fire on the crowd, resulting in the deaths of four protesters, among them Tsewang, a decorated veteran of the 1999 Kargil War. The firing has sparked widespread outrage, with locals and opposition parties decrying it as excessive force against a peaceful agitation rooted in long-standing grievances over autonomy, land rights, and environmental concerns linked to development projects.
Accordin to The Hindu, Taking to social media and public statements, Gandhi wrote, "Modi ji, you have betrayed the people of Ladakh. The blood of innocents, including a Kargil hero, is on your hands." He urged the Centre to "stop the politics of violence" and conduct an impartial judicial inquiry into the killings, insisting that the culprits receive the "harshest punishment." Gandhi highlighted Modi's 2019 election promises of safeguarding Ladakh's unique identity post the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, including Ladakh. "The betrayal has now turned deadly," he added, calling for dialogue to address the region's demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards.
The BJP-led government has yet to respond directly to Rahul Gandhi's allegations, though Home Ministry officials described the firing as a "regrettable incident" and promised an internal investigation. Security has been heightened in Leh, with internet services suspended and additional forces deployed to prevent further unrest. International observers and human rights groups have called for transparency, warning that suppressing dissent could exacerbate ethnic tensions in the strategically vital Himalayan region bordering China.
