Ladakh Activist Warns of Large-Scale Agitation If Demands Not Met After Talks

: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has warned of a “very large-scale agitation” if the Centre fails to make substantial progress on the region’s long-pending demands after the scheduled talks on September 9. Wangchuk said the Leh Apex Body (LAB) could intensify its campaign if the Union government does not take concrete steps to address issues raised by Ladakh’s representatives. A LAB sub-committee is scheduled to meet officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on September 9. He cautioned that what he described as “stepmotherly treatment” of Ladakh and communities living along the region’s borders could prompt the LAB to launch a major agitation after the meeting. Meanwhile, the proposed padyatra from Kargil to Leh, which was scheduled to begin on September 10, has been postponed in view of the upcoming talks with the Centre. Wangchuk said the march could be revived if the September 9 discussions fail to deliver a satisfactory outcome. He also urged people to extend greater support to Ladakh, particularly on issues concerning its environment and border communities. The LAB has designated September as “Martyrs’ Month” to remember those who were killed, injured or jailed during last year’s protests. Four civilians were killed in Leh on September 24 last year in what was reported as police firing. Wangchuk was also detained under the National Security Act during the agitation and was released in March after spending around six months in custody. He had emerged as one of the prominent faces of the protests after undertaking a hunger strike that lasted more than 20 days. Ahead of the September 9 meeting, Wangchuk said the LAB expects the Centre to arrive with a detailed draft outlining the proposed Ladakh Assembly and specifying the powers it would exercise. The LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have been leading the movement for greater political and constitutional safeguards since Ladakh became a Union Territory in August 2019. Their key demands include statehood for Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under Article 371, withdrawal of cases related to last year’s violence, compensation for victims and the publication of the inquiry commission’s report. The September 9 meeting is therefore being viewed as a crucial point in the ongoing negotiations between Ladakh’s representatives and the Centre, with Wangchuk warning of renewed mobilisation if the talks fail to produce tangible results.