The Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Monday said it will not talk to the Ministry of Home Affairs until normal life is restored in Ladakh. The decision comes after four protesters were killed in police firing during demonstrations demanding statehood and inclusion of the region under the Sixth Schedule.
At a press conference in Leh, LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang, co-chairman Tsering Dorjey, and member Ashraf Ali said the administration must first calm the situation, release detainees, and withdraw the charge that Ladakhis are “anti-national.” “These accusations are baseless and unacceptable. If the government had started talks on time, this tragedy would not have happened,” Dorjey said.
The leaders rejected the Centre’s offer of talks on October 6, saying discussions cannot happen while such allegations hang over LAB and Sonam Wangchuk.
Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist and educator, had been leading hunger strikes for statehood and the Sixth Schedule. He was arrested on September 26 under the NSA, accused of provoking the youth by referring to movements like the Arab Spring and Gen Z protests in Nepal. He also faces allegations of having links with Pakistan.
“Our people who died are heroes. Their funerals were held with both dignity and grief. We cannot sit at the table with these labels placed on us,” Dorjey said.
The LAB leaders said the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), currently in Delhi, has assured them of full support. The MHA had invited three leaders, each from LAB and KDA, for preparatory talks today. However, the LAB's decision not to hold talks till the situation returns to normal has cast a shadow on talks to resolve the crisis in Ladakh.
Chhewang reminded the government that the BJP itself had once promised Ladakh’s inclusion under the Sixth Schedule. “The deployment of CRPF shows the administration is not acting in good faith. Our youth came out because of delays by the government, and the responsibility is theirs,” he said.
The leaders accused the government of branding Ladakhi protesters as “Pakistani agents” to cover up state excesses. “If these claims were true, why did agencies not act earlier? The government is only hiding its failures,” Dorjey said.
He demanded a judicial inquiry into the firing. He said the CRPF opened fire without a magistrate’s approval. “We have proof of this,” he said. They also claimed that about 50 young people remain in jail. “LAB is a voluntary platform, with leaders working without a salary. All cases against our members and youth must be withdrawn,” the LAB co-chairman said.