Ladakh violence comes ahead of talks with Centre, after long gap, growing rift

Notably, Wangchuk – the most visible face of the agitation – was kept out of the delegation that is headed for Delhi, a reflection of the uneasy relationship between him and the Centre.

At the heart of the stalemate is the Centre’s reluctance to extend Sixth Schedule protections – meant originally for the Northeast – to Ladakh. Home Ministry sources say the government has instead offered alternative constitutional safeguards, with Amit Shah conveying this to Ladakh representatives back in March 2024.

Among the incremental measures offered by the Centre are domicile-based job reservations and recognition of local languages.

However, civil society bodies in Ladakh, with Wangchuk in the forefront, have been insisting on nothing short of the Sixth Schedule, and said only this and statehood can address the region’s concerns over land, jobs, and cultural identity. Wangchuk has dismissed the Centre’s promises as a “partial resolution”.

Sources said that no talks have been held between the Home Ministry and Ladakh groups since May, largely because of the Centre’s discomfort with Wangchuk’s presence at the negotiating table, and the consequent widening of gulf between the two sides.

In fact, the next round of talks were scheduled for October 6 only after the Leh Apex Body dropped Wangchuk from its delegation, and named former MP Thupstan Chhewang as its chair. Sources said the inclusion of Chhewang – who last won Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket in 2014, but left the party in 2018 protesting against its “false promises” – was one of the other conditions set by the government for talks.

In July, around the time Wangchuk was included in the Leh Apex Body, Chhewang had resigned from it, citing “individual agendas” and “competing interests”. He is associated with the powerful Ladakh Buddhist Association.

In another setback for Wangchuk, allotment of 1,000 kanals of land to his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives was recently cancelled by the Ladakh administration, citing alleged irregularities. Wangchuk has called the move a retribution for his opposition to allotment of pastoral land to some corporates in Ladakh.

“Certain companies have the status of the country itself. You say anything about them and it becomes sedition,” Wangchuk said in a statement earlier.

Wednesday’s unrest marked a sharp turn from the largely peaceful campaign led by Wangchuk over several months, including five fasts and a long protest march to Delhi.

In a statement after the violence, Wangchuk said: “On the 15th day of our fast, it is sad to note that there was arson and damage to property… For the past five years, youth are unemployed, and you are not giving any protection. When you keep youth unemployed and take away their democratic rights, it is a recipe for unrest. I still appeal for peace and ask youth to abjure violence.”

Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) also sympathised with the protesters, saying the bandh reflected the “failure” of the Union Territory model. Ladakh comprises two districts – Buddhist-dominated Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil.

Extending support to Wangchuk’s fast, Kargili said, “This is a fight for Ladakh’s existence, about restoration of democracy, about issues of our land and jobs for the youth. The dialogue must be focused on our key agenda of grant of statehood and inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule.”

The KDA is set to hold a bandh in Kargil on Thursday in solidarity with Leh protests. “If anything untoward happens, the government will be responsible, ” Kargili said.