Curfew continues in Leh, Kargil; MHA blames Wangchuk, holds talks with LAB, KDA

Curfew persisted in Leh for a third day after violent clashes killed four and injured 90. The Home Ministry blamed Sonam Wangchuk, cancelled SECMOL’s FCRA licence, and held talks with LAB and KDA as high-powered committee talks were scheduled in Delhi.

Leh: The curfew continued for the third day on Friday in Leh town, and the District Magistrate of Kargil also imposed restrictions to maintain law and order.

Meanwhile, a team of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials met with representatives of the Leh Apex body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

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The MHA cancelled the FCRA registration certificate of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), founded by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, as the ministry directly blamed him for instigating youth to violence in Leh town.

Acting tough on anti-social elements and miscreants, Ladakh police have lodged multiple FIRs and detained over 50 rioters as the police decided action against those who instigated the violence in Leh town, resulting in four casualties, 90 injuries and damage to many buildings and vehicles, including BJP and Hill Council offices.

A team of MHA officials held a meeting with the representatives of LAB and KDA in Leh on Thursday. Officials later said it was decided that a preparatory meeting with the Home Ministry will take place in New Delhi on September 27 or 28, subject to confirmation of date by the MHA.

The meeting will be attended by three representatives, each from the LAB and KDA, besides the Ladakh MP. “The preparatory meeting shall be followed by an immediate official meeting of the Home Ministry with a High Powered Committee comprising seven members, each from LAB and KDA on a four-point agenda,” a joint statement issued late Thursday evening by LAB leaders Thupstan Chhewang and Chering Dorjay said.

Meanwhile, the bodies of four civilians killed in security force firing during violence in Leh were handed over to their families. They have been identified as Tsewang Tharchin, 46, of Skurbuchan, who had retired from Ladakh Scouts Regiment, Stanzin Namgayal, 24, a resident of Igoo, Jigmet Dorjay, who hails from Kharnakling and Rinchen Dadul, 21, a resident of Hanu. Officials said a total of 90 persons were injured, seven of them seriously and 20 suffering from major trauma.