Heed the call for statehood of Ladakh

The long-festering discontent among people in Ladakh burst into widespread violence and arson on Wednesday causing the death of four persons following firing by the security forces on mobs engaged in vandalism. The protestors who were demanding statehood for the Ladakh region turned into a violent mob. The region was carved out of the former state of Jammu & Kashmir and turned into a Union Territory. While Jammu & Kashmir had a legislature, held elections and installed a government last year, Ladakh remained without a legislature and representative form of administration.

In 2019, when article 370 was abrogated, the people of the region had welcomed separation from Jammu & Kashmir. But six years of central administration and lack of representation has fostered a sense of alienation among the people who feel betrayed with the turn of events. Over and above that, geographical remoteness of the region, unique climate that urges special measures and continued indifference towards their aspiration have together led to frustration. Joblessness too had been mounting in the region as the fragile ecological condition and international borders impede investments. 

While the activists belonging to Ladakh Apex Body (LAB) were on a hunger strike since September 6, deterioration of conditions of two of the protesting activists and their subsequent hospitalisation, provided the trigger for popular anger. The Home Ministry has attributed the violence to a ‘provocative speech’ by LAB leader Sonam Wangchuk, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, and condemned the use of terms such as ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘Gen Z protests in Nepal’. The Ministry of Home Affairs had fixed a meeting on October 6.

The protestors had termed the date too far away and attributed the worsening situation to the delay. Now that the normalcy has been restored, it is imperative for the Centre to look at the unaddressed grievances of the locals, especially the four-point agenda put forward by the protesting groups from Leh and Ladakh. It includes early conferment of statehood, inclusion of the region under 6th schedule of the Constitution and greater local autonomy to preserve its unique character.