New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday that police firing in Leh, which caused casualties, was an act of self-defence after security forces came under attack. The ministry blamed activist Sonam Wangchuk for provoking the violence during his hunger strike for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.
According to the MHA, Wangchuk began his fast on September 10. The government said it has been holding regular talks with the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance through the High-Powered Committee (HPC) and other channels.
The ministry said the talks had already produced results. These include increasing Scheduled Tribe reservations in Ladakh from 45% to 84%, giving one-third reservation for women in councils, declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages, and starting the recruitment process for 1,800 posts.
The MHA alleged that despite requests from local leaders to end his fast, Wangchuk continued his protest and made provocative references to the Arab Spring and protests in Nepal.
“On September 24, at around 11:30 a.m., a mob left the hunger strike site and attacked a political party office and the office of the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) in Leh. Both offices were set on fire, a police vehicle was torched, and more than 30 police and CRPF personnel were injured”, the Statement said.
The ministry said police were forced to open fire in self-defence when security forces were attacked. The violence was brought under control by 4 p.m.
The statement also criticized Wangchuk, saying that he ended his fast during the violence and left for his village in an ambulance without trying to calm the situation.
The government reiterated that it is committed to providing constitutional safeguards to the people of Ladakh. It asked citizens not to share old or misleading videos on social media.
