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At Least Four People Died and 50 Have Been Injured in the Ongoing Ladakh Statehood Protest, Led By The Youth Wing Of the Leh Apex Body.
The Ministry of Home Affairs accuses activist Sonam Wangchuk of the ongoing Ladakh statehood protest, as it becomes violent, leaving four dead and over 50 injured. In demand of statehood and preponing the proposed talks with the Centre on the extension of the Sixth Schedule, the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) began protests across the union territory.
“As protesters demanding statehood in the Union Territory violently clashed with the police today, a section of them set on fire the hall of the Ladakh Hill Council Assembly,” the Leh deputy commissioner said. The administration said 50 security force personnel were injured in stone-throwing by the mob.
MHA Accuses Sonam Wangchuk
In a recent statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) blamed activist Sonam Wangchuk, "In spite of many leaders urging to call off the hunger strike, he continued with it and misled the people through provocative mentions of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal".
"A mob motivated by his provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as the government office of the CEC Leh... It is clear that the mob was guided by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements," the statement added.
Earlier, government sources said “the situation in Ladakh did not spiral out of control on its own; it was deliberately engineered. Ladakh and its young population are paying a huge price for the narrow politics played by certain individuals, and also the personal ambitions of activist Sonam Wangchuk”.
“The young people of Ladakh are not to be blamed as they were misled and caught in a sinister plot for political and personal gain,” government sources said, adding the centre stands “committed to the welfare and empowerment of the people of Ladakh.”
Sonam Wangchuk Replies
"I didn't justify it, I said it is most unfortunate and 'nindaneey', the Arab Springs was not mentioned anywhere near this incident. I referred to the Arab Springs months and months ago," claimed Wangchuk in an interview today.
"I said, I will take all the pain, not let others take the pain. I will die of either hunger or, if needed, even immolate myself. That (Arab Spring mention) was many months ago, when I said I would rather give my own life, one life rather than wait for a situation where many lives are lost. So, therefore, I said one life can change the system like in the case of the Arab Spring," he added.
When questioned over the lives lost in the Ladakh protests, he said, "This is exactly what I was trying to avoid by saying that one life lost, my life lost, is better than many in the future when this grows worse."
"Why didn't the government fulfil the promises made in 2019 and 2020. Why were we driven to talk about giving our lives? I love my life and I love my country," he added.
Govt. Highlights Development
Referring to the high-powered committee or HPC, which is in talks with the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, MHA further said "The process of dialogue through this mechanism has yielded phenomenal results by increasing reservations for Ladakh's Scheduled Tribes from 45 per cent to 84 per cent, providing 1/3 women reservations in the councils and declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages.
With this, the process for recruitment to 1,800 posts also commenced. However, certain politically motivated individuals who were not happy with the progress made under HPC have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process."
A fresh round of talks is now scheduled between the Centre and Ladakh representatives, comprising members of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), on October 6.
A couple of weeks ago, youth-led protests in Nepal turned violent, causing multiple deaths, injuries, and loss of billions to the hospitality and tourism sector. The uprising voices of common people in different parts of the world show socioeconomic instability and unrest. Are they going to rewrite history? Only time will tell.