Ladakh Protests Turn Deadly: Leaders Demand Judicial Probe After Police Firing Claims Four Lives

Calls for a judicial investigation are intensifying after police firing resulted in four fatalities and more than 30 injuries when statehood protests in Ladakh escalated into violence. These demonstrations occurred while activist Sonam Wangchuk, currently detained under the National Security Act (NSA), was conducting a hunger strike.

Four individuals, including a former Army soldier, lost their lives when police responded to violent statehood protests in Ladakh on Wednesday. Authorities have arrested approximately 50 people in connection with the unrest that erupted during a shutdown organized by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which demands Sixth Schedule extension and statehood status for Ladakh.

Demonstrators set fire to the Union Territory's BJP headquarters, the Hill Council office, and police vehicles in Leh. Security forces responded with live ammunition and tear gas to control the situation. Authorities have subsequently imposed an indefinite curfew across Leh.

While government officials attribute the violence to Mr. Wangchuk's instigation, local leaders contend that security forces fired indiscriminately at protesters and are demanding accountability for those involved. "This clearly represents disproportionate force. I call for an impartial judicial investigation into the killings and numerous injuries," stated Haji Hanifa Jan, Member of Parliament from Ladakh.

Both the LAB and Ladakh Buddhist Association have joined these demands. These influential Ladakh organizations rejected claims of outside interference in the Leh protests. They explained that some individuals from Jammu and Kashmir's Doda region who sustained injuries were "innocent bystanders struck by bullets during indiscriminate firing." "The protesters were educated but unemployed youth. There are attempts to portray this as anti-national activity. They damaged BJP flags, not the national flag, and removed Ambedkar's portrait before burning the BJP office," explained Chering Dorjey Lakrook, co-chairman of LAB.

Sajjad Kargili, a Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader, stated, "We demand an impartial investigation into the indiscriminate firing on protesters in Leh and punishment for those responsible. Ladakh stands united for Statehood and Sixth Schedule - and also against the undemocratic UT setup which has failed to address our democratic and constitutional rights issues. Authorities should also dismiss the filed cases considering the situation's sensitivity."