Leh violence: Ladakh leaders voice concerns during discussion at JNU

Leaders from Ladakh on Friday expressed anguish over the recent violence in Leh, and questioned the legality of the police firing that killed four people and left several others injured.

They were speaking at a public discussion on 'Ladakh Crisis: The Battle of Identity', organised by Ladakh Students Forum at the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union office.

The speakers included Leh Apex Body's (LAB) legal advisor Mustafa Haji, political activist and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) member Sajjad Kargili, and former MLA and KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai.

LAB and KDA are two organisations spearheading the demand for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

"We did not get a chance to process our grief," said Haji, recalling the chaos at Leh's hospitals. "Doctors were ill-equipped to handle the situation. Some were forced to perform surgeries beyond their capabilities, and there were not enough vehicles to transfer the injured."  On September 24, an initially peaceful protest during a shutdown call given by the LAB youth wing turned violent. The shutdown call was given after two out of 15 people, who were on a fast in support of the demand for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, were hospitalised after their condition deteriorated.

The protesters clashed with police, pelted stones and torched vehicles. Police opened fire, killing four people and injuring dozens of others.

At the discussion on Friday, Haji questioned the legality of the police firing.

"Even if the protesters turn aggressive, there are procedures the CRPF (central reserve police force) must follow. They shot four people with little remorse," he said.

Kargili, who visited Leh after the incident, called the hospital scenes "heartbreaking" and asked, "Where were the lapses that forced the security forces to open fire?"  The speakers condemned what they described as government apathy towards Ladakh's crisis.