Restrictions Tighten in Leh After Deadly Ladakh Protests
In Leh, the heart of Ladakh, India, authorities have kept strict curbs in place under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023. These rules stem from the violence that erupted on September 24. Right now, no one can gather in groups of five or more people across the district. Processions, rallies, or marches need written permission from officials first.
Security forces stay on high alert, patrolling Leh to keep things calm. The unrest ties back to long-standing demands from Ladakh residents. They want the region added to the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which offers special protections for tribal areas in states like Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. This schedule, under Articles 244(2) and 275(1), helps manage local governance and resources for indigenous communities.
The September 24 clashes led to four deaths and many injuries. Police say they’ve arrested 44 people linked to the violence. One key figure among them is Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known activist pushing hard for Sixth Schedule status in Ladakh. Wangchuk had just ended a hunger strike when the trouble started. On September 26, protests turned deadly when police opened fire on crowds. Authorities now hold Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) in Jodhpur jail, Rajasthan. They accuse him of stirring up the violence.
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President, Tariq Hameed Karra, spoke out about the Ladakh protests a day before the latest arrests. Talking to reporters, Karra blamed the unrest on "five years of deceit and broken promises" from the government. He pointed out that the current demonstrators are the same folks who cheered the 2019 scrapping of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. Back then, Karra said, the government had used these very people to support the move.
"Today, we’re facing a sensitive issue with national importance—the crisis in Ladakh," Karra told media. "Four lives lost, around 90 injured. These protesters against the Indian government and local admins? They’re the ones who celebrated Article 370’s end and helped the government pull it off."
As tensions simmer in Ladakh, calls for dialogue grow louder. The push for Sixth Schedule inclusion highlights ongoing struggles for autonomy and rights in this high-altitude region.
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