Braving cold, students continue hunger strike

Our Correspondent

Leh, December 13

The ongoing indefinite hunger strike started by various student unions of Ladakh at NDS Ground in Leh town, being held to pressurise the Central government to declare Ladakh a tribal area under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, entered its second day today.

Braving the prevailing sub-zero temperature, the students have been spending cold nights in a tent with minimum facilities of heating and burning ‘bukhari’ (traditional iron-made potable heating equipment).

Raising slogans of ‘Save Ladakh, Save Environment’, at least 18 students, including leaders and executives members of different students unions of Ladakh under the banner of Student Organisation of Unified Ladakh (SOUL), began a hunger strike from December 12 after a peaceful rally in Leh town from NDS Ground to Balkhang Chowk.

Rigzin Dorje, president of the union, said students were on a hunger strike with four major demands.

He said, “With 96 per cent of the total population of Ladakh as tribal, the students want to tell the government that the demand is genuine and legal.”

He urged the government to provide some other safeguards till the next Parliament session to protect Ladakh. The students were visited by different delegations of religious groups expressing their support with the student community.