Curfew relaxed for few hours in Leh town; DGP says Wangchuk being probed for alleged Pak links

Leh, Sep 27 (PTI) Authorities allowed a four-hour relaxation in curfew on Saturday in violence-hit Leh in Ladakh, the first easing of restrictions after three days, while an uneasy calm prevailed in the region with authorities stepping up security a day after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the NSA and lodged in a Jodhpur jail.

The Director General of Police (DGP) of Ladakh, S D Singh Jamwal, described Wangchuk as the key person behind Wednesday's violence and said he is being probed for allegedly having links with Pakistan following last month's arrest of a Pakistani Intelligence Operative who sent videos of his protests across the border.

The police chief rejected claims that security forces fired indiscriminately on the protesters and said they were compelled to open fire to bring the situation under control or else entire Leh would have been "burnt to the ground" by the rampaging protesters.

Ladakh Congress, on the other hand, asserted that Wangchuk has become the most visible and vocal face of Ladakh agitation and no amount of “vilification campaign and trumped-up charges" against him would hold true in the eyes of the local population. It said the government is terribly mistaken if it believes arresting Wangchuk would help restore peace and harmony in the region.

Other opposition parties too criticised his detention. "The one who is working for our forces has been dubbed anti-national and arrested under the NSA and you are playing cricket with Pakistan which spreads terror in India. What kind of patriotism is this?" Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said.

In a statement, the Politburo of the CPI(M) said Wangchuk's detention under the "draconian NSA exposes the authoritarian character of the BJP-led central government" and demanded his release.

Ladakh Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta chaired a high-level security review meeting at Raj Bhavan, after which the curfew was eased in a phased manner.

“We have taken a decision (to ease restrictions). The curfew is relaxed for two hours from 1 PM to 3 PM in the first phase in old city areas, followed by a two-hour relaxation in new areas from 3.30 pm to 5.30 PM,” DGP Jamwal told reporters here.

The curfew was clamped in the town on Wednesday evening after widespread violence resulted in the death of four persons and injuries to 90 others during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to advance talks with the Centre on the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh.

The official said the patrolling and checking by police and paramilitary forces in the sensitive areas have been intensified, while raids are also underway to nab the absconding rioters, including a councillor who allegedly instigated the violence.

Officials said police parties on Saturday announced the relaxation in the curfew using the public address systems and, soon after, shops selling essential commodities were opened, witnessing a heavy rush.

People were also seen queuing outside ATM kiosks in good numbers as the police and CRPF personnel kept a vigil, they said, adding the relaxation period passed off peacefully with no untoward incident reported from anywhere.

Jamwal said Wangchuk is being probed for allegedly having links with Pakistan following last month's arrest of a Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO) who sent videos of his protests across the border.

"He had his own agenda. There is a probe of foreign funding, violation of FCRA against him … We have a PIO with us who was reporting across the border, sending videos of the protests led by Wangchuk," he said..

The police chief also cited some of Wangchuk's foreign visits and termed them as suspicious. "He attended an event by The Dawn in Pakistan and also visited Bangladesh," Jamwal told reporters here.

Wangchuk has been the main face of the agitation spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to the Union Territory.

Jamwal claimed Wangchuk tried to hijack the platform and tried to scupper the dialogue between the Centre and Ladakh representatives. The Centre had invited the leaders for a fresh round of talks on October 6.

On Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta's remarks about a foreign conspiracy in Wednesday's violence, Jamwal said three Nepalese citizens were admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries, and the involvement of some others has also come to light.

He said, in all, 50 people have been taken into custody in connection with Wednesday's violence. At least half a dozen of them are suspected to be "ringleaders", he said.

"Obviously, Wangchuk, who was the main instigator, has been lodged in an outside jail," the DGP said.

In a statement issued late Friday night, the Lt Governor-led administration justified the detention of Wangchuk, saying a series of alleged provocative speeches by him, with references to the Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring, resulted in Wednesday's violence that left four persons dead and scores of others injured.

It said the detention of Wangchuk was "important to restore normalcy" in the peace-loving Leh town and also to prevent him from further acting in a manner "prejudicial to maintenance of public order".

"There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in Ladakh during the past 24 hours. The restrictions are in place to maintain law and order," an official said.

Strict restrictions under prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons also remained in force in other major towns of the Union Territory, including Kargil.

The Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Ladakh, in a statement late Friday night, said: "Time and again it has been observed that Wangchuk has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the state and detrimental to maintenance of peace and public order and services essential to the community." It said that despite clear communication from the government regarding the meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) and the offer of prior meetings before the HPC, Wangchuk, with his "ulterior motive", continued his hunger strike in the town from 10 September.

It said the administration, based on specific inputs, took a considered decision to detain Wangchuk under the NSA and move him to Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan.

DGP Jamwal dismissed the allegation by the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, the bodies which have been spearheading the agitation, that forces fired indiscriminately, saying that it was done only in self-defence and to prevent a larger flare-up.

"If you look at the footage and the conditions in which our forces performed, they did a highly commendable job. I salute them for bringing the situation under control by 4 PM after the violence started around noon," the DGP said.

He said about 70 to 80 police and CRPF personnel were also injured in the confrontation.

"The violence was aimed at creating anarchy, and countering anarchy was our main task," he said. PTI TAS RT