New Delhi: Even as Ladakh’s leading political outfits – the Kargil Democratic Alliance and the Leh Apex Body – said on October 14 that they will continue their peaceful protest for their demands for statehood and the implementation of the Sixth Schedule, among other things, a recent fact-finding report by rights organisations including the National Alliance of People’s Movements backed the demands raised by Ladakhis during the ongoing protests.

The fact-finding report, authored by a delegation from the Socialist Party (India), the National Alliance of People’s Movements and Hum Bharat Ke Log (an organisation that upholds Gandhian values) that visited Ladakh from September 10 to 14, noted that it was crucial that the Indian government fulfil all four demands made by the Ladakhis.

'Essential, non-negotiable pillars'

One demand of the Ladakhis is that the Sixth Schedule be implemented in the region. The second demand is for statehood — which will give the predominantly tribal population of Ladakh more say in local governance. The third demand is for the establishment of Ladakh’s own Public Service Commission so that locals, instead of bureaucrats appointed from Delhi, can take administrative decisions. The fourth is that the Union government allocate two Lok Sabha seats, one for Kargil and another for Leh, to further adequate political representation for the region. Apart from these, Ladakhis are also now demanding a high-level judicial inquiry be conducted into the shootout in Leh on September 24 that claimed the lives of four people and injured at least 80 others; and that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk who has been in detention since September 26 be released immediately. They are also demanding that all 45 others who were arrested and are still detained be released too.

Per the report, the four core demands of the movement “are not merely political points for negotiation; they are the essential, non-negotiable pillars for Ladakh’s future existence as a distinct cultural and ecological entity”.

The Union government must fulfil these demands because after the abrogation of Article 370 and the revocation of Article 35A in 2019, “the floodgates have been opened”, the report noted.

“The rich natural resources of Ladakh, from its pristine glaciers and water bodies to its vast mineral deposits of granite, limestone and even uranium have been thrown open to rampant exploitation by outside commercial interests, with local communities having little to no say in the process,” the report read.

Five new districts

The delegation from the Socialist Party (India), the National Alliance of People’s Movements and Hum Bharat Ke Log that visited Ladakh for the fact-finding mission included activists, researchers and civilians from across the nation. Called “Understanding Ladakh”, their mission involved talking to people involved in the protests as well as politicians in the landscape. The delegation spoke to Farooq Abdullah, President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Yusuf Tarigami, CPI (M) MLA from Kulgam, Asghar Ali Karbalai, co-chair of the KDA, Chhering Dorjey Lakaruk, co-chair of the Leh Apex Body and the head of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, and several others.

According to Lakaruk, the dilution of Article 370 was the primary catalyst for Ladakh’s present crisis, the report noted. Per the report, he said that though the people of Ladakh once considered a Union Territory status necessary for their progress and even celebrated the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Ladakhis now realised that Article 370 had “served as an essential protective shield for their land, their resources, their jobs and their very livelihoods”.

The fact-finding report also noted that the announcement of the creation of five new districts – Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass – was “deeply alarming” and had “sent shockwaves through the region”.

“While superficially presented as a benign administrative reform for better governance, local people from all walks of life universally and vehemently view this as a strategic, pre-meditated move to gerrymander the region, promote corporate access to resources, and, most insidiously, alter the region’s demographics through subsequent delimitation exercises,” per the report.

The report said that in the Changthang (home to grazing pastures at the highest elevations in the world), where the union government is planning renewable energy projects, the planned solar parks and mining projects would bring thousands of workers from other regions. These workers would eventually acquire domicile status, permanently changing the “demographic profile and political representation” of the region, the report claimed.

Fight for ecological survival, democratic rights

“This is seen, with very good reason, as a form of “demographic flooding” and “cultural genocide”, a systematic process that would ultimately undermine the native identity, traditions, and livelihoods and permanently dilute the demand for Sixth Schedule protection, which is predicated on the area having a distinct tribal population,” the report read.

“The demands of the people of Ladakh are just, necessary, constitutionally sound, and profoundly urgent. Their fight is a fight for ecological survival, for cultural dignity, and for the very democratic and federal rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India,” the report noted.

The shootout at Leh that happened on September 24 was “extremely unfortunate” because the Ladakhis’ protests were peaceful, said members of the rights’ organisations at a press conference on October 4 while releasing the fact-finding report.

“Over the last four years, the people of Ladakh have been raising their demands peacefully,” said Dr Gunjan Jain, at the press conference.

Ladakh was getting the same treatment as Manipur, said Sajjad Kargili, member of the KDA who was also present at the press conference. Moreover, there is no public service commission in Ladakh. According to a media report, the level of unemployment in Ladakh has increased by 28%, he said.

“This is not just an unemployment rate but a level of frustration, it is the level of trust deficit between Ladakh and the union government, it is the level of betrayal,” Kargili said.

“This system of the government to teach nationalism through guns is unfortunate and condemnable. This is the land of Gandhi…the government must understand that. We will continue to raise our voice peacefully,” Kargili added.

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