People protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule (File photo: PTI)
SRINAGAR: Leh police opened fire on protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status on Sept 24 in a “reckless and disproportionate use of lethal force” without orders from a magistrate in the Union territory, Congress and Anjuman-Moin-ul-Islam have claimed before a judicial probe commission.Anjuman is a Leh-based Muslim organisation. The claims came ahead of a Friday deadline for submissions before the panel probing the violence in which four protesters were killed and over 80 injured.Leh Apex Body (LAB), the region’s largest political and religious group that spearheaded the protests, has given the panel detailed accounts but sought more time to present evidence. Late Friday evening, the panel, headed by retired Supreme Court judge BS Chauhan, extended the deadline to Dec 8. LAB member and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is among the over 70 people arrested over the violence. He has been booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).In its representation, Congress has called the police firing on the “peaceful protesters without any order from the on-duty magistrate a direct assault on the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21”.“Compounding this grave misery, many innocent persons, including prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, continue in detention without substantial evidence against them in clear violation of Article 22’s protections against arbitrary arrest and detention,” states the Congress submission made by former minister Nawang Rigzin Jora. This is not an isolated error but “a symptom of grave mis-governance and a total failure of law enforcement, particularly in a peaceful region like Ladakh where demands for Sixth Schedule and statehood stem from genuine concerns over cultural preservation, environmental protection and equitable development”, Congress said.Seeking immediate release of the detainees, Congress said “the wounds inflicted on Sept 24 run deep in the collective psyche of Ladakh’s social fabric and the nation’s commitment to constitutional values”. “We place our hope in the commission to deliver not just findings but transformative justice and action against the barbaric act,” the party’s representation reads.In its representation, Anjuman has claimed that police “unexpectedly and without sufficient provocation, fired tear gas shells into the crowd, creating panic and chaos”. “This sudden and unprovoked action provoked retaliation in the form of stone-pelting by some agitated youths,” the Anjuman said.It added that the police resorted to direct firing using live ammunition, “targeting the crowd, (with) many victims being hit in the head and chest in clear violation of police protocols and SoPs”.The Union home ministry (MHA) had announced the commission after demands from LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), another key Ladakh organisation. Both had made the panel’s formation a precondition for resuming dialogues with the Centre on autonomy.
