LEH: A high-level team from the Union Home Ministry on Friday held a series of meetings in Leh to review the law and order situation as curfew remained in force for the third consecutive day following deadly clashes earlier this week.
Officials said no fresh incident of violence was reported from anywhere in Ladakh. The curfew was imposed on Wednesday evening after four people were killed and around 90 injured during large-scale clashes amid a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to press for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh.
“The situation across Ladakh has remained peaceful. Restrictions are likely to be eased later today to allow residents to purchase essential items,” a senior police official said. Security forces, including police and paramilitary personnel in riot gear, continued to patrol the deserted streets of Leh and other sensitive towns.
Over 50 people were detained in connection with the violence, while prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than four people remained in effect in both Leh and Kargil. Residents, however, complained of shortages of essential supplies including ration, milk, and vegetables.
Leh District Magistrate Romil Singh Donk ordered closure of all schools, colleges, and anganwadi centres for two days beginning Friday as a precautionary measure.
The MHA team, which arrived on Thursday, held deliberations with Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta, senior civil and police officers, as well as representatives of LAB. According to officials, it was decided that a preparatory meeting will take place in New Delhi on September 27 or 28 with three representatives each from LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), alongside Ladakh MP Mohd Hanifa Jan.
“The preparatory talks will be followed by a formal meeting of the Home Ministry with a High-Powered Committee of LAB and KDA members on a four-point agenda,” a joint statement issued by LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang and co-chairman Chering Dorjay said.
LAB and KDA have been jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years, demanding statehood for Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and creation of a Public Service Commission. While previous talks with the Centre led to assurances on job guarantees and an additional Lok Sabha seat through delimitation, the core demands of statehood and Sixth Schedule remain unresolved. The next round of formal talks with the government is scheduled for October 6.
Meanwhile, shops and business establishments reopened in Kargil after a day-long shutdown called by KDA on Thursday. Heavy deployment of security forces continued in sensitive areas of the town to prevent any flare-up.
