After the violence in Ladakh, the citizen groups of Ladakh have agreed to resume talks with the Centre on October 22. The violence that occurred last month, in which four people were killed in police firing, had deepened the mistrust between the central government and the citizen groups of Ladakh, who had been in dialogue for several months.
During the protest held on September 24 in Ladakh — demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule — violence broke out. Following this and the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), the two top bodies — the Apex Body of Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — withdrew from the scheduled talks with the Centre on October 6. They had declared that they would not resume dialogue until an independent judicial inquiry was ordered into the police firing.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification stating that former Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan would conduct an inquiry into the “serious law-and-order situation, police action, and the unfortunate deaths of four persons” that resulted.
After this announcement, both Ladakhi citizen groups agreed to return to the negotiating table. The upcoming meeting between the Centre and the Ladakh representatives is likely to discuss issues such as inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, statehood, land protection, the establishment of a Public Service Commission, and the provision of two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh.
The main demand of the people of Ladakh is to declare Ladakh a protected area under the Sixth Schedule. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution pertains to the administration of tribal areas in the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. It provides for the creation of autonomous district councils with the power to make laws on specific subjects such as land, forests, agriculture, village administration, marriage, and social customs. Its primary aim is to protect tribal land, culture, and self-governance.
Initially, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre had supported this demand, but later it changed its stance. The people of Ladakh were disappointed by this shift. Meanwhile, Ladakh’s Gandhian leader, Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, has been a vocal advocate of this demand. He has several times gone on hunger strike and even traveled to Delhi in support of the cause.
On the other hand, as public pressure on the Centre increased, the government initiated dialogue with democratic organizations of the region — but did not include Wangchuk in the talks. The central government stated that discussions with representatives of the movement were progressing, but Mr. Wangchuk’s provocative statements had incited the youth, leading to violence.
Although Wangchuk had resorted only to a hunger strike, he ended his fast after the violence and returned to his village. Later, he was accused of instigating the crowd and was arrested under the NSA. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail. This led ABL and the Kargil Democratic Alliance to refuse further talks with the Centre.
According to ABL, Wangchuk and other youths are being branded as anti-national and accused of conspiring with Pakistan. “Until these allegations are clarified, we will not engage in dialogue,” they said. “The people of Ladakh will not tolerate such accusations in exchange for their loyalty to the nation.”
It remains to be seen what outcome emerges from the talks. The NSA charges against Sonam Wangchuk may be withdrawn, paving the way for his release, along with other detained individuals. It will also be important to see whether the Centre agrees to grant full statehood to Ladakh or formulates a roadmap toward it.
