Ladakh bandh to protest
SRINAGAR: A month after talks between Ladakh groups and a Union home ministry (MHA) panel in Delhi, the Union Territory observed Tuesday a complete shutdown against the Centre’s alleged backtracking on understandings reached during the parleys.Businesses across Leh and Kargil remained closed as large numbers of people gathered to hear functionaries of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the region’s two main political groups that had called the bandh.The groups have alleged that draft minutes of the May 22 meeting shown to LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook omitted an agreement on a proposed legislative body with authority over the bureaucracy as well as constitutional safeguards for Ladakh through a provision similar to Article 371.LAB and KDA have warned that if the “two essentials” are not reflected in the final minutes, they would return to their original demand of “full statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh”. Sonam Wangchuk, LAB member and environmentalist, was part of the May talks, described later by both groups as “historic”.This concern was raised Tuesday at Leh’s Polo Ground by speakers from LAB and other groups before a gathering of around 7,000 people. The other groups present were Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), Ladakh Gonpa Association (LGA), Anjuman Imamia, Anjuman Moin-ul-Islam and representatives of the Christian community.The speakers also highlighted other worries, including a proposed excise policy change to allow free liquor sales throughout Ladakh, privatisation of Ladakh Power Development Department (LPDD), land and tourism-related issues.LAB co-chairman Lakrook claims he had pointed out what he described as “omissions” in the draft minutes of the May talks and sought corrections, but the revised minutes were not released or sent back to him.Several rounds of talks have been held with the Centre on Ladakh since 2023. The process stopped after four people were killed and over 80 injured on Sept 24, 2025, in alleged police firing on protesters in Leh demanding statehood. LAB’s Wangchuk was accused of inciting the protesters, arrested, charged under NSA and kept in Jodhpur jail. The Centre revoked his NSA detention in March this year.
