Centre Should Give More Attention to the
Grievances of Ladakh People

P Abdul Majeed Faizy
National General Secretary

The Central Government government and the Ladakh Administration are taking a dangerously provocative line towards the people’s agitation in Ladakh, demanding settlement to their long pending grievances, by the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act that could keep him in jail without bail for at least one year.

The arrest and the ongoing vilification of the educationalist and campaigner for the region’s tribal rights is most likely to worsen the situation in this critical border region that connects India to Pakistan as well as China and estrange the people who have been on an agitation path demanding inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution enabling them to enjoy tribal status, a separate state of Ladakh comprising Kargil and Leh, separate Lok Sabha seats for both regions and filling up of vacant positions in the government services.

The unrest in the border region actually began after the August 5, 2019 Amendment that revoked the Article 370 of the Constitution that offered special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir, and created two union territories, J&K and Ladakh. The revocation of their constitutionally guaranteed special status meant the threat of an influx of external people and economic forces that could erode their social and economic stability and traditional ways of living. The people in the Buddhist majority Leh and the Muslim majority Kargil were unanimous in these concerns and their respective organizations, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) joined hands in the ongoing agitation. There were several rounds of discussions between the agitators and the Central Government, and some progress was also achieved on a few of their demands. For example, recently President Droupadi Murmu notified four Regulations for the Union Territory of Ladakh, announcing new policies on reservation rights, protection of local languages, right to domicile in the region, and composition of hill councils for Ladakh. As a result, the resident Ladakhis were offered 85 percent reservation in government jobs, an increase from the 45 percent they enjoyed earlier.

But some of the major demands including the statehood for Ladakh, tribal status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, etc, remained unresolved and it was in these circumstances that the climate activist and 15 others launched a 35-day fast, demanding urgent talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs to press for their pending demands. It was in the middle of these developments that sudden incidents of violence broke out, resulting in the death of four people and injuries to more than 150, including some security personnel.

It was an unfortunate development, but the authorities are to be blamed for such a situation. The youngsters in the region have been extremely restive, a large number of them being unemployed. They were worried that without proper protections, their lands could be alienated, their languages and culture destroyed and their future end up in jeopardy. It was on the part of the Central Government to reassure them with continued and meaningful discussions, which had been stalled for some time. The government also should have taken note of the impact of the agitations carried out the younger generation, described as Generation Z, in neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with devastating effect driving out incumbent powers seen to be totally unmindful of people’s feelings and demands for justice and fairness. So the agitation turning violent was a matter that could be anticipated and necessary steps taken to mitigate the situation.

The government did nothing to prevent the violence and loss of lives, and now after the outbreaks of the incidents, they are still treating it as a mere law and odor problem and not a genuine expression of people’s anger and anxiety that needs to be handled with care and sensitivity. The present campaign accusing the agitators of being antinationals, etc, with little evidence to prove such wild allegations would only worsen the situation. The Home Ministry should not allow such dangerous campaigns to go ahead and instead take up steps to restart talks to find a lasting solution to the grievances of Ladakhi people.