Ahead of the next round of talks with the ministry of home affairs sub-committee on October 15, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) on Monday warned that people in Ladakh would be compelled to launch an agitation if the Centre failed to present a draft proposal on an elected governance model and constitutional safeguards under Article 371 for the region.
LAB co-convenor and former minister Chering Dorjay Lakrook said, “We have been informed that the next meeting will take place in Leh at 4 pm on October 15, and this time we are hopeful of getting the draft proposal that would provide some clarity on what would be given to us. If the details are shared, it would be helpful, and we will submit our demands in writing.”
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Ladakh leaders warn of agitation
This will be the fifth round of talks between the Centre’s sub-committee and civil society groups, Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), demanding setting up an elected governance model in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards under Article 371.
The talks are happening amid continuing discontent over the September 24 violence last year, when four people, including a retired soldier, were killed and more than 80 were injured.
In recent months, the administration has withdrawn cases against several persons booked for violence and announced compensation for the next of kin of those killed and for the injured.
Following the September 9 meeting this year, the Ladakh administration proposed a new governance arrangement for the strategic Himalayan region that would be neither a state nor a UT with a legislature, but a unique “sui generis” model requiring a constitutional amendment and Parliament’s approval.
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LAB questions selective withdrawal of cases, demands accountability for deaths
The MHA had also sent a set of questions to representatives of the LAB and the KDA, who have been campaigning for a democratic model of governance in Ladakh. “Broadly, the MHA has sought to know what the head would be called by name and there are other small questions on the model of governance,” said Lakrook.
He reiterated that the Centre must present its proposal at the meeting, warning that further delay could erode the public’s trust. At the October 15 meeting, the MHA’s sub-committee is expected to present the draft of the proposal, particularly on the Article 371K constitutional safeguards. Lakrook also highlighted other key demands of the people of Ladakh, including accountability for the deaths of four people in police firing.
“Though the administration is withdrawing cases selectively and in phases, it is playing politics, as cases against political activists of Congress and LBA are not being withdrawn. Though several political activists are on bail, restrictions have been imposed on them, and their cases are not being withdrawn,” said Lakrook.
He also said the families of four men killed in the firing had refused to accept the ₹15 lakh compensation announced by the administration.
“If the precedent of ₹1 crore is there in such cases in other parts of the country, like in suicide by students in NEET paper leak, then why can’t the same rule be applied here in Ladakh because the four men were killed in police firing,” he said.
Ladakh was created as a Union Territory without a legislative assembly on August 5, 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, leaders have been demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards. In 2023, the MHA formed a high-powered committee under the minister of state for home Nityanand Rai, to address the region’s culture, language, and strategic interests.