Leh Apex Body rejects involvement of 'foreign hand' in violence; demands judicial probe

Leh, Sep 26 (PTI) Admitting that the recent violence in Leh was caused by youngsters who went "out of control", Leh Apex Body (LAB) co-chairman Chering Dorjay on Friday rejected the involvement of a "foreign hand" in the happenings and demanded a judicial probe into the incident that claimed four lives and left 90 people injured.

He alleged that police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel fired indiscriminately on the protesters, without making any attempt to control the unruly mob through other means like the use of water cannons or firing warning shots.

"We have made it clear that if the home ministry does not call us on time for talks, we will intensify our agitation. We have also said that our movement will be peaceful and non-violent. The 35-day hunger strike led by (climate activist) Sonam Wangchuk started with a joint prayer meeting on September 10 and accordingly, the Centre extended an invitation for October 6," Dorjay told reporters here.

He was flanked by several others members of the LAB but Wangchuk, who was also scheduled to address the media, could not reach the venue as he was arrested by police while he was on the way.

"The date of the meeting caused concern and resentment among the people in general and the youngsters associated with the LAB in particular, who called a strike on September 24 to press for the advancement of the talks given the deteriorating condition of two of the participants a day earlier. They had to be admitted to a hospital," Dorjay said.

Normally, he said around 500 people used to visit the hunger-strike venue on a daily basis but on September 24, more than 7,500 people, mostly youngsters, unexpectedly came to the venue and "went out of control".

"We tried to stop them from going outside the venue as we had no plans to take out a march. Our chairman, Thupstan Chhewang, also tried to intervene while we asked our youth leaders to stop them.

"At the beginning, they started throwing stones at the Hill Development Council office and later, went to a nearby BJP office and vandalied it," Dorjay said.

"We tried to convince them not to do this but they did not agree. In the meantime, police started firing indiscriminately. There was no prior warning, no use of tear-gas shells or water cannon or anything like that. They fired directly, which further angered the youngsters, who were aged between 15 and 26 years and looked educated and belonging to poor families," he said.

The LAB co-chairman dismissed claims that the mob was armed as "completely wrong".

"There was an attempt to give it an anti-national colour. When they attacked the BJP office, they removed all the party flags but did not touch the national flag. They even removed the photographs of B R Ambedkar and our revered religious figure, Lama Kushok Bakula, before setting it on fire," he said, adding that many among the protesters were carrying the tricolour.

Dorjay said some people, including Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta, have claimed that there was a foreign hand in the violence.

"To justify their claim, they are saying that the people of Doda (in Jammu and Kashmir), Nepal, Tibet and Bihar were among those injured.... This shows that they were not part of the protest. These people were bystanders. Nowadays, the population of outsiders is more in Leh. If you shoot blindly, the outsiders can also get hurt," he said.

The LAB co-chairman pointed out that some people are claiming that Wangchuk and Congress leaders instigated the protesters. "According to us, this narrative is completely wrong. When people saw that the government was not serious at all, they got angry and vented their anger out," he said.

He alleged that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, who were recently brought from outside deployed in Leh, beat up bystanders mercilessly.

"Among the injured, 95 per cent have been hit by bullets or pellets, showing that there was excessive use of force. The presence of the CRPF was part of the plan to suppress our movement," Dorjay said.

Pointing out that several agencies are working in Ladakh, he said, "If the LG is saying there is a foreign hand, then what were these agencies doing? They are saying this to hide their mistakes." On talks with New Delhi, Dorjay said they had a meeting with home ministry officials and told them that they will meet after the funeral of the four victims.

Pitching for a judicial probe into the incident, he said, "It is very important to find out why there was a need to open fire. We think it is completely illegal because a live bullet is not allowed in the head or chest and there is a procedure for police to follow." Dorjay said the LAB's legal team is working to secure bail for those detained by police following the violence. PTI TAS RC