Normalcy returning to Leh as curfew eased; Ladakh talks hit roadblock after KDA backs LAB stand

Leh/New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Talks between the Centre and representatives from Ladakh hit a roadblock as the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Tuesday backed the Leh Apex Body's (LAB) decision to suspend dialogue until climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others are released.

The move comes even as a semblance of normalcy returned to Leh town on Tuesday after nearly a week-long curfew.

The Himalayan town saw markets bustling and public movement increase for most of the day as authorities relaxed the curfew, initially for four hours and later extending it until 5 pm.

Officials said that the relaxation period went off peacefully, with no untoward incidents.

However, mobile internet services remain suspended, and stringent prohibitory orders banning the assembly of five or more people are still in effect across much of the Union Territory, including Kargil.

The KDA and LAB, two powerful organisations jointly agitating for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh, declared they will not return to the negotiating table.

The decision was announced by the KDA at a press conference in Delhi, following a similar move by the LAB on Monday.

Terming release of Wangchuk and others as the key condition for resuming negotiations, scheduled for October 6, the two organisations have also demanded a judicial inquiry into last week's police firing in Leh.

"We will not participate in the talks with the Centre till Wangchuk is released, arrests are stopped, those arrested are released, and a judicial probe is ordered," said KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai.

Wangchuk, the primary face of the agitation, was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) following the violent clashes between protesters and security personnel on September 24.

Over 50 people were taken into custody, and Wangchuk is currently lodged in a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Talking tough, Ladakh Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta made it clear on Tuesday that no one involved in acts of violence here on September 24 would be spared.

Chairing a high-level security review meeting to assess the prevailing law and order situation in the UT this evening, the LG directed senior police officials to identify and take strict action against the miscreants responsible for disturbing peace.

"No one involved in acts of violence will be spared. Law will take its firm course, and those trying to disrupt communal harmony will face stringent action," Gupta said, addressing the meeting.

In a related development, Gitanjali Angmo, Wangchuk's wife and co-founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), alleged a "witch-hunt" was underway to project her husband as an "anti-national." Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Angmo challenged authorities to an open debate on the allegations, including those suggesting links to Pakistan.

She claimed there was "no need to impose the NSA on Sonam Wangchuk" and asserted that authorities have not provided her with formal documents detailing the charges.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and political activist Yogendra Yadav also slammed the detention, with Bhushan noting that the government had not yet provided the mandatory dossier of charges to Wangchuk's family. Yadav called the activist the "Gandhi of Ladakh".

The situation in Ladakh has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress with its leaders -- party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi -- demanding a judicial inquiry into the death of four protesters, including Kargil War veteran Tsewang Tharchin, during the police firing.

Gandhi, who is on a four-nation tour of South America, posted a video of Tharchin's father on X and said, "Father in the army, son in the army - patriotism runs in their blood. Yet the BJP government shot and killed this brave son of the nation, simply because he stood up for Ladakh and his rights." The father's pain-filled eyes ask one question -- is this the reward for serving the nation today, he said in his post in Hindi.

"We demand that an impartial judicial inquiry be conducted into these killings in Ladakh, and the culprits be given the harshest punishment.

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji, you have betrayed the people of Ladakh. They are demanding their rights. Communicate with them - stop the politics of violence and fear," the former Congress president said.

Kharge also posted the same video and said Ladakh's sorrow is the sorrow of the entire nation.

"Shaheed Tsewang Tharchin fulfilled his duty towards Mother India in the Kargil War... What did he get in return? A bullet from the Modi government in Ladakh! The father was also in the army, the son was also in the army," Kharge said.

"When our 20 brave soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country at the LAC in Ladakh in Galwan, Modi Ji himself gave China a CLEAN CHIT! If he didn't remember the valor of our brave soldiers then, what chance is there now? Those who can give China a CLEAN CHIT, what respect will they show for the martyrdom of brave soldiers like our Tsewang Tharchin!" he said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also weighed in, pointing out that the people of Leh, who celebrated the August 5, 2019, decision to revoke Article 370 and reorganise the region, were now protesting and demanding statehood.

In Leh, authorities had first eased restrictions briefly on Monday after the last rites of the four deceased protesters.

Lt Governor Gupta has been chairing high-level security review meetings, appealing to the public to maintain peace.

The Ladakh BJP unit also called for a thorough investigation to ensure "accountability and justice" and demanded the immediate release of all innocent persons charged with minor offences.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the suspension of mobile data services across all Gs (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G) and public Wi-Fi facilities in Leh until 6 pm on October 3. PTI AO/TAS ASK SSB SKL SKL KVK KVK