The Union Home Ministry has held Sonam Wangchuk, a climate activist and educator, responsible for the violence in Leh that left four protesters dead and dozens injured.
In a statement, the ministry claimed Wangchuk’s ‘provocative’ statements were responsible for inflaming passions among the youth in Ladakh over the demand for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
Violence broke out in Leh on Wednesday after the health condition of two people, who were part of a 35-day hunger strike led by Wangchuk since September 10, deteriorated, leading to their hospitalisation.
The development led to protests by the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), representing political and religious bodies of Leh and Kargil, has been holding talks with the High-Powered Committee (HPC) of the Ministry of Home Affairs under Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
The protesters have been demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh, after the region was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and granted Union Territory status on August 5, 2019.
Wangchuk had cautioned the Centre to hold talks immediately in view of the ongoing hunger strike, saying a 16-day gap was too long for them to wait. He had warned that the youth were getting impatient with the Centre’s approach and hoped that nothing untoward would happen to bring an "embarrassment for India.”
“Last time, when the Centre wanted to hold talks with Ladakh leaders, a special plane was sent to Leh to carry them to Delhi immediately. This time, a 16-day delay, in the middle of a hunger strike, was too long a time for those on hunger strike,” Wangchuk said at a press conference in Leh.
Soon after the death of protesters and unrest in Leh, Wangchuk called off his hunger strike and appealed for calm. He stressed that no hunger strike succeeds if lives are lost in violence.
According to the ministry, despite appeals from several leaders to end the protest, Wangchuk continued the hunger strike while making provocative references to Arab Spring-style uprisings and Gen Z protests in Nepal.
The ministry said that on Wednesday, around 11:30 am, a mob influenced by Wangchuk’s speeches set fire to a political party office, the office of the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) in Leh, and a police vehicle, injuring over 30 police and CRPF personnel.
It said the security forces opened fire in self-defence, leading to casualties.
“It is clear that the mob was guided by Wangchuk through his provocative statements. Incidentally, amidst these developments, he called off his hunger strike,” the ministry said in its statement.
The ministry said the situation was brought under control by 4 pm. It appealed to people not to circulate old or provocative videos on the media and social media.
It said the Government of India has been actively engaging with LAB and KDA through the High-Powered Committee (HPC), a sub-committee, and multiple informal channels. The ministry listed key achievements of this dialogue process, including raising the Scheduled Tribe reservation in Ladakh from 45 per cent to 84 per cent, granting one-third reservation for women in the hill council, declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages, and beginning the recruitment process for 1,800 posts.
It accused certain “politically motivated individuals” of trying to sabotage the dialogue process, despite more meetings of the HPC already being scheduled on September 25, September 26 and October 6.
“The government stands committed to the aspirations of the people of Ladakh by providing adequate constitutional safeguards,” the ministry said.