
NEW DELHI, NOV 8: The simmering tensions in Ladakh came to the fore today when Buddhists formally lodged a protest with the Centre about the 8220;demographic changes8221; allegedly being engineered by the National Conference Government in the frontier region.
Labzang Nyantak, leader of the youth wing of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, an organisation which had spearheaded a five-year agitation for union territory status to the region in 1991, today asked the Prime Minister to look into the growing unrest among Buddhists. The LBA memorandum alleged the state government had been engineering social restructuring of the region to convert it into a 8220;Muslim-dominant8221; region.
The LBA has alleged, over the years there has been influx of Muslims from Kargil and Kashmir, which had reduced Buddhists to a minority status. Alleging that the state government was encouraging the demographic changes the LBA says, 8220;If the trend is allowed to continue there is every possibility of Buddhists losing their distinctive cultural identity8221;.Demanding a CBI inquiry into the involvement of Ladakhis living in Kargil in transshipment of arms and ammunition for spreading insurgency in the region, the LBA alleged the state government had hushed up the case.
The Buddhists, the memorandum said, had been facing discrimination in recruitment in jobs and professional colleges.