Srinagar: Thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallied in Leh and Kargil districts on Monday (March 16) to reiterate their demand of Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh among other safeguards for the border region. 

Reports said that thousands of people including Buddhist monks marched from Singge Namgyal Chowk towards Polo Ground in Leh on Monday morning following the call for “peaceful protest” by the Leh Apex Body (LAB).  

The LAB along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) are spearheading the ongoing agitation in the border region with a four point agenda – Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh, two separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil and a public service commission for local job recruitment. 

Shouting slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ (hail Mother India), ‘We want Sixth Schedule’ and others, the protesters in Leh, consisting of women and elderly, waved pro-democracy and pro-Ladakh banners and posters as they marched towards Polo Ground.

“We have already submitted our list of four demands to the central government. Unfortunately there has been no positive movement on this. Today's protest was meant to press the government to resume meaningful talks so that the democratic and constitutional rights of people of Ladakh are restored,” Chering Dorjay Lakrook, the LAB co-chairman, said. 

Lakrook, who also heads the Ladakh Buddhist Association, said that the police administration had set up barricades at many places in Leh allegedly to prevent the protesters from reaching the Polo Ground. 

“However, a massive protest was held at the Polo Ground which was attended by around 10,000 people,” he claimed. 

Although the LAB had not issued any shutdown call for Monday, reports said that a spontaneous shutdown was observed in Leh and other important towns such as Kargil, Drass and others in view of the protest call. 

Meanwhile, a massive protest was also held in Kargil town of Ladakh which was spearheaded by the KDA leaders.  

Reports said tens of hundreds of people marched on the main road in Kargil town to demand “justice for Ladakh” and immediate release of the protesters who have been charged for the deadly September 24 protest.

The protesters also reiterated the demand of Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh among others.

Following the deadly violence in Leh on September 24 last year in which four protesters were killed, the LAB-KDA combine have held two rounds of talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ high powered committee (HPC).

The HPC was set up to look into the demands of the people of Ladakh after the border region was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and downgraded into a Union Territory without legislature in 2019. 

Although the talks between the LAB-KDA combine and the MHA have remained “inconclusive” so far, the Ladakh administration had appealed to the LAB last week to reconsider the protest.

The administration had claimed that the protest could “create a negative impression” about the situation in Ladakh amid the upcoming tourist season.

While the administration reiterated that it was “committed to dialogue” with the civil society groups, the newly appointed lieutenant governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena on March 14 warned that there was “no space for agitation and violence”.  

After initially denying permission for the "peaceful protest” which was initially scheduled on March 12 ahead of Saxena’s swearing-in ceremony, the administration allowed the protest to be held on Monday with some conditions. 

Ahead of the protest, the LAB had asked the protesters not to cover their faces with masks and stick to slogans approved by its leaders.

Last year, the LAB-KDA combine had shared a draft proposal with the high powered committee set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs for restoring political normalcy in Ladakh.

The draft had called for the release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others who were detained and the withdrawal of cases against the protesters who were booked, in the aftermath of  the protests last September. 

Today's protest took place after the release of Wangchuk, which was welcomed by the leaders of the LAB and the KDA.

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