Leh, Sept 28: Curfew remained in force in violence-hit Leh town for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, as Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta prepared to chair a high-level security review meeting to decide on possible relaxation of restrictions, officials said.
The restrictions were imposed on Wednesday evening after widespread protests erupted during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to press for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh. Four people were killed and several others injured in the violence, while more than 50 individuals were arrested for alleged rioting. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act and shifted to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.
Authorities allowed a brief, four-hour phased relaxation of curfew in the town on Saturday, which passed off peacefully. However, officials confirmed that prohibitory orders under Section 144, barring gatherings of five or more persons, remained in place in other major parts of the Union Territory, including Kargil. Mobile internet services continued to be suspended across the town.
Police, CRPF, and ITBP personnel in full riot gear were deployed in strength, with flag marches conducted in sensitive areas to maintain order. Officials said the overall situation remained largely normal on Sunday with no fresh incidents reported.
The last rites of two of those killed in the clashes were scheduled for later in the day. Meanwhile, two Congress councillors — Smanla Dorje Nurbo and Phutsog Stanzin Tsepak — surrendered before a local court on Saturday, along with Ladakh Buddhist Association vice president Savin Rigzin and village numberdar Rigzin Dorjey. The four were remanded to police custody, while several others, including youth leaders and students affiliated with LAB and the Buddhist Association, were sent to judicial custody.
President of the Ladakh Bar Association, Mohd Shafi Lassu, said the cases of the arrested persons were being taken up pro bono. He argued that all those arrested, including the councillors, were innocent and sought their release. He claimed that Tsepak was wrongly identified as a protest leader seen in videos, while Nurbo was at a hospital attending to ailing constituents on the day of the hunger strike.
The bar association also challenged the custody plea of the public prosecutor, insisting on mandatory medical checkups for detainees every eight hours and questioning in the presence of their counsels, which the court accepted.
Officials said the Lt Governor’s review meeting at Raj Bhawan would decide the next steps regarding curfew relaxations in Leh. (Agencies)
