Will step up protest if demands not met: Ladakh Groups

A day after they held a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, groups from Ladakh on Thursday reiterated their demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory, threatening to intensify their agitation if the government does not listen to them. They have also been demanding a separate public service commission and two parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil.

At a press conference here, environmental activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk said democracy had been compromised in Ladakh and the local people had no say in decision-making. Speaking on behalf of the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, an amalgam of social, religious and political groups, Wangchuk stressed on the need to provide safeguards for the environmentally sensitive area and involve locals in decision-making.

Sajjad Hussain, an activist from Kargil, said, “Unemployment is on the rise. Graduates and PhD holders are on roads. When we asked for a separate public service commission, the administration said they had no such plan. People have been totally disempowered. We have no representation.”

“In a democratic society, protest is our right. There have been several protests in Ladakh over the last two years, we will intensify the protest if our demands are not met,” Hussain said. Both Wangchuk and Hussain also said that their voices were being stifled by the police.

Ladakh was carved into a UT without legislature when Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated and J&K was bifurcated into two UTs.