"Ready To Start Dialogue Process, Will Protect Land, Jobs": Top Ladakh Official

In its first detailed policy statement following violence in Ladakh, the government today announced a slew of confidence-building measures, including protection of land, jobs, and the demographic character of the Ladakh region. 

The government said it is committed to "meet the aspirations of people of Ladakh and keen to start a dialogue process" but squarely blamed activist Sonam Wangchuk for violence and sabotaging the dialogue process.

The government has also decided to release all the protesters upon court orders. 

Pawan Kotwal, chief secretary of Ladakh, read out the statement,  announcing the release of 40 detainees who were arrested for their involvement in arson and violence in Leh on September 24.  

The top official said 30 detainees have already been released from the jail.

The protesters were demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh amid a hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk when violence broke out on September 24. The activist has been charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and is lodged in Jodhpur jail.

"The Government stands committed to meet the aspirations of Ladakh and is keen to start the dialogue process soon. The land, resources, jobs and livelihood of Ladakhis would remain protected," said the top official.

Reading out a written statement, the official said,"The government would continue to work with the people of Ladakh to protect the ecosystem and as well as its cultural identity."

"There is no sign of demographic changes or cultural homogenisation," said the top official.

According to the Ladakh Chief Secretary, the government was addressing issues through dialogue, but it was sabotaged and derailed. Without naming Sonam Wangchuk, Mr Kotwal said that "certain sections sabotagedthe  process purely for personal and political gains at the cost of Ladakh".

"With a premeditated approach, certain sections worked to derail the process, continued the hunger strike despite scheduled talks and misled the people, thereby creating a law and order situation on September 24 and the subsequent loss of four lives," said the top official.

The Chief Secretary stated that the situation on September 24 could have been avoided if leaders had called off the hunger strike on time.

"The entire episode could have been avoided if some leaders had risen from personal and political ambitions by calling off the hunger strike timely," said the Chief Secretary.

He said that the government is confident that "all the details of firing will also come out during the course of investigations."

Four people were killed after a mob set the BJP headquarters in Leh on fire and burnt down a government office and some police vehicles.

The Chief Secretary reiterated that there is no commercial exploitation of resources or mining in Ladakh. 

Wangchuk has blamed the government for exploiting the resources of Ladakh and termed it a major threat to Ladakh's fragile ecology.

The activist was on hunger strike for 15 days, demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. Soon after violence erupted in Leh, Wangchuk called off the hunger strike.

Over the last four years, Ladakh has seen growing unrest against direct central rule. Residents have repeatedly called for statehood and constitutional safeguards to protect their land, culture, and resources.

Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory in August 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. Many in Leh, including Wangchuk, had welcomed the move. But within a year, concerns began to mount over what residents described as a political vacuum under the administration of the Lieutenant Governor.

This discontent gave rise to large-scale protests and hunger strikes. 

For the first time, political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil joined hands under a joint platform: the Apex Body of Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.

In response, the Centre set up a high-level committee to examine Ladakh's demands. 

However, successive rounds of talks yielded no breakthrough. In March this year, Ladakhi representatives met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

Talks, however, collapsed as Ladakhi leaders said the Home Minister had rejected their core demands.

"During the meeting, the Home Minister told us that he had made a mistake by carving out Ladakh as a separate Union Territory. He also rejected our demand for statehood and the Sixth Schedule," one leader who attended the meeting told NDTV.