Leh : Angry protesters clashed with the police in Leh city of Ladakh this morning, pelting stones at officials and even burning down a police vehicle. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Leh today, demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards. They have been observing a hunger strike and called a complete shutdown today to press their statehood demand.
The angry protesters attacked the BJP office in Leh, pelted stones at the police and also burnt down a police vehicle. In return, the police resorted to tear-gas shelling and lathi-charging to disperse the violent crowds. It’s the first time in recent memory that such clashes were witnessed in Ladakh. The violence played out in the backdrop of the upcoming talks with the government.
For the last two weeks, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been observing a hunger strike in Ladakh for statehood and the inclusion of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
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. At the time, many in Leh, including Mr Wangchuk, had welcomed the move. 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. This March, Ladakhi representatives met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
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