As the Himalayan chill deepens, Leh town remains shrouded in a tense curfew for the sixth consecutive day, with Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta convening an urgent high-level security review at Raj Bhavan to assess the volatile situation ahead of the cremation of two more victims from the deadly September 24 clashes. The air is thick with grief and guarded vigilance, as police and paramilitary forces maintain a robust presence in sensitive zones, ensuring no fresh unrest erupts in this violence-scarred Union Territory.
Officials report a fragile peace holding in curfew-bound areas, with no new incidents flaring up overnight. "The deployment is ironclad – we're watching every corner to keep law and order intact," a senior security officer told PTI, emphasizing the exhaustive patrols and checkpoints dotting Leh's narrow streets. Yet, beneath the calm, the wounds of last week's fury fester: widespread protests demanding Ladakh's statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule protections – constitutional safeguards for tribal autonomy – spiraled into chaos, arson, and brutal street battles between demonstrators and security forces.
The human toll has been devastating. Four lives were snuffed out on that fateful Wednesday, including young engineering student Stanzin Namgyal (24) from Igoo village, aspiring cricketer Jigmet Dorjay (25) from Kharnakling, Rinchen Dadul (21) from remote Hanu, and veteran ex-serviceman Tsewang Tharchin (46) from Skurbuchan, a retired soldier of the 3rd Ladakh Scouts who had traded his uniform for a voice in the streets. Over 150 people, including around 80 police personnel, suffered injuries in the melee, many from bullet wounds that have since ignited fierce debates over the use of force. Forensic reports confirm the victims' deaths stemmed from security gunfire, prompting outcries from locals who decry the response as disproportionate.
Also Read: Sense of Betrayal Driving Anger in Ladakh: Omar Abdullah
Sunday brought somber closure for two families, as Stanzin and Jigmet were laid to rest in intimate ceremonies under the curfew's watchful eye – only close kin permitted amid the restrictions. Today, the spotlight shifts to Rinchen and Tsewang, whose last rites are slated for later in the day, drawing heightened security protocols to prevent any spillover of emotion into fresh turmoil. "These funerals are a powder keg; we're prepared for every scenario," the official added, underscoring the LG's meeting as a pivotal moment to calibrate relaxation measures.
The crackdown extends beyond the streets: mobile internet stays blacked out across Leh, severing digital lifelines for a region already isolated by geography, while Section 144 orders – banning gatherings of five or more – blanket major areas including Kargil, stifling dissent in its tracks. Over 60 arrests have swelled Leh's detention centers, snaring LAB leaders, youth activists, and even two local councilors. None looms larger than climate icon Sonam Wangchuk, the 63-year-old engineer-activist whose 21-day fast for Ladakh's rights ended in his dramatic detention under the draconian National Security Act. Transferred to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan on Friday, Wangchuk's jailing has galvanized national outrage, with supporters branding it a "scapegoat ploy" to deflect from the Centre's unfulfilled promises. "Blaming me won't silence the mountains' roar," he declared from custody, rejecting accusations of inciting the violence.
The protests trace back to a 35-day hunger strike by 15 LAB members since September 10, sparked by the hospitalization of two strikers and escalating into a full shutdown call. Frustrations boil over broken pledges: Ladakh's 2019 bifurcation from Jammu and Kashmir stripped it of legislative powers, fueling demands for statehood, job quotas for locals amid an influx of outsiders, and Sixth Schedule revival to shield land and culture from exploitation. Political heavyweights like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have piled on, lambasting the BJP for "betraying" the region and stoking the flames.
A brief four-hour curfew lift on Saturday passed without incident, allowing essentials procurement and a flicker of normalcy, but authorities remain cautious. As Gupta's review unfolds, eyes are on whether further relaxations will follow – or if the shadow of more funerals will tighten the grip. For Leh's resilient residents, caught between ancestral pride and enforced silence, the path to justice feels as treacherous as the passes that guard their homeland. With national mediators urged to step in, Ladakh's cry for autonomy echoes louder, demanding not just security, but solutions.
Also Read: Ladakh Erupts As Protesters Torch Police Van Over Statehood