Leh violence: Opposition parties mull sending delegation to Ladakh

Opposition parties are deliberating on sending a delegation to Ladakh, where violence during a protest last month for statehood and tribal status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution left four people dead and several injured.

Sources in several opposition parties confirmed that there have been informal discussions regarding sending a group of leaders to the Union Territory towards the end of October.

Parties like the Congress, the CPI(M), the Aam Aadmi Party, the Samajwadi Party, and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha have held talks on the proposal, they said.

An AAP leader acknowledged that deliberations have been held, but asserted that no final decision has been taken yet.

Sources in the CPI(M) and the Samajwadi Party also confirmed that the proposal is under consideration. A senior opposition leader said the matter is being discussed “seriously”.

Leh was rocked by widespread violence on September 24 during an agitation spearheaded by LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) for statehood and extension of Sixth Schedule safeguards.        Opposition leaders have been vocal in condemning the deaths during the protest and the subsequent arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

They have also supported the demand of the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance for a judicial enquiry into the firing incident.

The home ministry has accused Wangchuk, who was leading a hunger strike in Leh at the time, of “instigating” the protesters.  Wangchuk called off his hunger strike after the incidents of violence. He was detained under the NSA on September 26.

The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India”. The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.

It can be invoked by the local administration and has to be ratified by a board headed by a former high court judge. Because it is preventive detention and not arrest, there is no legal obligation to present the detainee before a court of law.