'Entire Ladakh would have been burnt down, if cops hadn't…' L-G Kavinder Gupta over recent violent statehood protests

Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta has said if police had not opened fire during violent protests in Leh last week, the entire Ladakh would have been burnt down.

Four people were killed and scores of others injured in clashes between protesters and security personnel, while over 50 people were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in rioting during the protests demanding statehood for Ladakh. Activist Sonam Wangchuk, the main face of the agitation, was also detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

“What happened on September 24 cannot be connected with this (job concerns). You have to see how the people were instigated. A certain political party was involved in all this. The leaders leading the agitation are themselves saying it went out of their control. That political party conducted a press conference saying they will burn down the BJP office. They burnt down the LAHDC (Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council) office. It is a democratic institution,” Gupta told the Indian Express in an interview on 30 September.

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, who also served as Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir when Ladakh was a part of the erstwhile state, Gupta was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh in July. Gupta, said in the Indian Express interview, that the violent protests cannot be connected with the job concerns among locals and that a ‘certain political party’ was involved in it.

“Some protesters tried to snatch weapons from security forces. If police had not taken the decision to open fire that day, the entire Ladakh would have been burnt down. The unity and integrity of the country cannot be compromised. But I assure you, none of this will impede the development and progress of Ladakh,”he said.

LAB stays away from talks

On Monday, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) announced that it will stay away from talks with the High Powered Committee of the Home Ministry till normalcy is restored in Ladakh and a conducive atmosphere is created, hardening its stand following the killing of four protesters during clashes with security forces last week.

LAB Chairman Thupstan Chhewang made the announcement shortly after the fourth victim of the violence, a former army soldier, was cremated amid tight security in curfew-bound Leh.

What happened on September 24?

The curfew, imposed last Wednesday, was relaxed for two hours at 4 PM in the entire town. There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere, officials said.

Widespread violent protests occurred on September 24 during a shutdown called by LAB to advance talks with the Centre on the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh.

After nearly four months of stalled talks, the Centre had on September 20 extended an invitation to the LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which have been spearheading the agitation for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to the Union Territory. The talks were scheduled for October 6.