The Leh Apex Body has issued a warning of intensified protests if the government does not demonstrate significant progress on its key demands. This announcement comes ahead of a scheduled meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi on September 9. The group is urging the government to take concrete steps to address their concerns.
“If the meeting produces a positive outcome… and if there is constructive and result-oriented dialogue on these issues, we will welcome it. “We are all Indians, and everyone should be treated equally. The outfit has been demanding legislation for Ladakh at the Union Territory level, safeguards under Article 371, withdrawal of cases filed after the September 24 violence last year, compensation for victims, and publication of the inquiry commission report. LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance are jointly spearheading the agitation with the demands since the granting of UT status to Ladakh in August 2019 and have held several rounds of talks with the Centre since 2021. Only 25 cases of the 80 related to last year’s violence have so far been withdrawn, according to Lakruk.
LAB chairman Chering Dorje Lakruk said that though the group welcomes the meeting with MHA, it would assess the talks on the basis of their outcome. Otherwise, we will intensify our agitation very strongly,” he said. The lives of the people of Ladakh are not so cheap,” he said, demanding compensation for the kin of the dead and wounded in the agitation. Meanwhile, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said the LAB is observing September as a “Martyrs’ Month” in memory of those killed, injured and jailed last year.
Ladakh Assembly Proposal to be Discussed on September 9
The Apex Body has announced that it anticipates the government will present a comprehensive draft regarding the proposed Ladakh Assembly at the upcoming meeting on September 9. This draft is expected to outline the assembly’s powers and rights, which are crucial for the region’s governance structure.
