Rajasthan’s Deputy Chief Minister Premchand Bairwa says the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will handle all decisions on Ladakh’s push for statehood. But he stresses that this doesn’t justify any violence in the region.
Bairwa was speaking to reporters about activist Sonam Wangchuk, who’s been detained under the National Security Act and is now in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan. “Our Prime Minister will take all decisions on the statehood demand he raised,” Bairwa told . “That doesn’t mean violence should happen.”
Tensions remain high in Leh after violent clashes on September 24. Authorities have imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. No more than five people can gather in the district, and processions, rallies, or marches need written permission first. Security forces are still on high alert across Leh.
At the heart of the unrest is Ladakh’s long-standing demand to be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This schedule, under Articles 244(2) and 275(1), offers special protections for tribal areas in states like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. Protesters want similar safeguards for Ladakh’s tribal communities.
Police have arrested 44 people linked to the violence, which sadly claimed four lives. Among them is Sonam Wangchuk, a key voice for Sixth Schedule implementation in Ladakh. He had just ended a hunger strike when the clashes erupted. On September 26, things escalated further when police opened fire during protests, leading to the deaths. Wangchuk faces charges of inciting violence.
A day before that, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra weighed in on the Ladakh protests. He blamed the unrest on “five years of deceit and broken promises” by the government. “This agitation stems from unfulfilled commitments over the last five years,” Karra told reporters.
Karra also pointed out the irony: many of today’s protesters, he said, are the same people who celebrated the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and even helped the government at the time. “Four people have died, and about 90 are injured in this sensitive issue,” Karra said. “Those now protesting against the government and local administration were the ones used during the Article 370 abrogation—they were happy back then.”
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