Ladakh Protest News Live Updates: Sonam Wangchuk held under NSA, flown to Jodhpur; Govt cancels foreign funding licence of his institute

The government addressed the violence that took place in Ladakh in a statement released on X. The statement said that the Government of India has been actively engaged with Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance on same issues. Series of meetings were held with them through formal channel of High-Powered Committee as well as Sub-committee and multiple informal meetings with leaders and the process of dialogue through this mechanism has yielded phenomenal results by increasing reservations for Ladakh scheduled tribe from 45% to 84%, providing 1/3 women reservations in the councils and declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. With this process for recruitment of 1800 posts was also commenced

Holding vested interests responsible for violence and loss of lives during statehood protests, Ladakh Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta on Wednesday said curfew has been imposed across the Leh district of the Union Territory to prevent more bloodshed. He said those responsible for the violence will be identified and stern action will be taken against them as per the law of the land. “The curfew has been imposed as a precautionary measure. People have lost their lives here and I express my condolences to their families. All necessary measures will be taken to prevent more casualties,” Gupta said while addressing the people of Ladakh.

After the BJP alleged Congress' involvement behind the Ladakh protests, Activist Sonam Wangchuk said that he doesn't believe the Congress holds such influence over the Ladakh youth to mobilise them for protests. "Congress doesn't have such influence here that it can manage to get 5000 youth on the roads," Wangchuk said in a press conference on Wednesday Wangchuk's remark came in response to the allegation levied by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya that Congress Councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag "instigated" the protestors who attacked the BJP office in Leh.

Wangchuk added that the councillor did deliver a remark in anger because the two people who were hospitalised yesterday belonged to his village, but believed that Congress does not have enough hold to influence the youth.

"A Congress councillor yesterday reached a hospital in anger because two people from his village were hospitalised, but Congress does not have such influence," he said. Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya accused the Congress of "rioting" in Ladakh and attacked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Given that over 90 per cent of Ladakh’s population belongs to the Scheduled Tribes, there has been a consistent demand to include the region under the Sixth Schedule. The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 of the Indian Constitution provides for the formation of autonomous administrative regions called Autonomous District Councils (ADCs), which govern tribal-majority areas in certain northeastern states. ADCs have up to 30 members with a term of five years and can make laws, rules and regulations on land, forest, water, agriculture, village councils, health, sanitation, village- and town-level policing, etc. Currently, there are 10 ADCs in the North East, with three each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and one in Tripura.

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After ending his 15-day hunger strike, Sonam Wangchuk took to X and said that the violence overpowered our peaceful protest, just in one day, it looks like failing. The political parties here are incompetent, they don't have the capability to give direction to youths. People are angered

The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 provides for the formation of autonomous administrative divisions — Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) — that have some legislative, judicial, and administrative autonomy within a state.

There was much enthusiasm initially, mostly in Leh, after the August 5, 2019 decisions that created two new Union Territories. Buddhist-dominated Leh district had long demanded UT status because it felt neglected by the erstwhile state government, which was dominated by politicians from Kashmir and Jammu. The enthusiasm waned as it was understood that while the UT of J&K would have a legislature, the UT of Ladakh would not. There had been four MLAs from the region in the erstwhile J&K Assembly; the administration of the region is now completely in the hands of bureaucrats. To many in Ladakh, the government now looks even more distant than Srinagar. Also, the changed domicile policy in Jammu and Kashmir has raised fears in the region about its own land, employment, demography, and cultural identity.

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In an interview with The Indian Express, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta had spoken on a range of issues, from the Union Home Ministry’s “in-principle approval” for formation of five new districts in Ladakh to the demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule for the Union Territory (UT).

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After nearly four months of stalled talks, the Centre on September 20 extended an invitation to the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance for the talks – 10 days after Wangchuk began the hunger strike. Tensions spiralled after Tsering Angchuk (72) and Tashi Dolma (60) were hospitalised after their condition deteriorated on Tuesday. This led to concern among the LAB constituents who urged the Centre to advance the talks.

The Leh Apex Body-led movement became violent, setting on fire the BJP office and several vehicles by hundreds of people who took to the streets.

Authorities on Wednesday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in Leh district of Ladakh, banning assembly of five or more persons following a movement demanding statehood for Ladakh and extension of the Sixth Schedule took a violent turn on Wednesday. - PTI

Police and paramilitary forces, deployed in strength across the town, lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control, the officials said.