New Delhi/Leh, Sept 24: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday attributed the violent clashes in Ladakh, which claimed at least five lives, to what it described as “provocative remarks” made by activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike since September 10 demanding statehood and inclusion of the Union Territory under the Sixth Schedule.
In a detailed statement, the Ministry said that the Union Government had been actively engaged in dialogue with the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance over these very issues. A series of meetings were held through the High-Powered Committee, its sub-committee, and multiple informal discussions with local leaders. The Ministry pointed out that these deliberations had already yielded results, including raising reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Ladakh from 45 to 84 per cent, ensuring one-third reservation for women in local councils, granting official language status to Bhoti and Purgi, and initiating recruitment for 1,800 government posts.
The Ministry alleged that certain “politically motivated individuals” were dissatisfied with the progress achieved under the HPC and had attempted to sabotage the dialogue process. While the next formal meeting of the High-Powered Committee was already scheduled for October 6, additional consultations had also been lined up for September 25 and 26 to accommodate the requests of local groups.
Despite appeals from several leaders to end his hunger strike, Wangchuk continued, the Ministry said, and misled people with what it termed “provocative references” to the Arab Spring and youth-led protests in Nepal. According to the Ministry, these remarks incited a mob which, on Tuesday morning, left the protest site and attacked both a political party office and the office of the Chief Executive Councillor in Leh. The offices were set on fire, government property was vandalised, and police personnel came under attack. A police vehicle was torched, while more than 30 personnel from the police and CRPF sustained injuries.
The Ministry said that security forces were left with no option but to open fire in self-defence, leading to casualties. Order was restored by 4 pm, but the Ministry maintained that the violence was the direct outcome of Wangchuk’s instigation. It further noted that while the violence unfolded, Wangchuk ended his hunger strike and left for his village in an ambulance “without making serious efforts to control the situation.”
The statement underlined that the Government of India remained committed to addressing the aspirations of Ladakh through constitutional safeguards and urged people not to circulate provocative videos on social media.
Meanwhile, government sources suggested that the violence was not spontaneous but deliberately engineered, accusing Wangchuk of pursuing “narrow political goals” at the cost of Ladakh’s youth. They argued that the Centre had consistently shown readiness for talks, pointing to earlier proposals, including one in July, which did not elicit a positive response from local groups.
The sources also raised questions over Congress leaders’ statements, claiming they appeared to encourage violence through references to stone-pelting, shutdowns and arson. The episode, they said, bore the hallmarks of a conspiracy driven by politics and personal ambition.
The Centre reiterated that Ladakhi youth should not be blamed for the unrest, as they were misled into the violence. The Government, it stressed, stood firmly committed to the welfare and empowerment of the people of Ladakh.
