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SRINAGAR: The Leh Apex Body (LAB) which with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has been advocating for statehood, Sixth Schedule tribal safeguards, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and a Public Service Commission to address youth unemployment in Ladakh on Friday categorically denied allegations of foreign involvement or external instigation in the violent protests that erupted in Leh on September 24, resulting in four civilian deaths and 90 injuries, including police personnel.Addressing a press conference in Leh, , LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay called for a judicial probe into the incidents, alleging that police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel fired indiscriminately on protesters without using non-lethal measures like water cannons or warning shots. “We have always emphasised peaceful and non-violent agitation. Our 35-day hunger strike, led by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, began with a joint prayer meeting on September 10, and the Centre invited us for talks on October 6,” he said.Wangchuk, scheduled to speak at the press conference on Friday afternoon, was arrested en route to the venue under the National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly inciting violence in the region and subsequently shifted to a jail in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur.Dorjay acknowledged that the violence was triggered by young protesters who became “uncontrollable” due to frustration over the delayed talks, especially after two hunger strikers were hospitalised. He said that over 7,500 people, mostly youths, gathered at the hunger strike site—far exceeding the usual 500 attendees—and marched without LAB’s approval.“They threw stones at the Hill Development Council office and vandalised a nearby BJP office,” Dorjay said, adding that LAB leaders, including chairman Thupstan Chhewang, tried unsuccessfully to stop them.Refuting claims that the mob was armed, Dorjay said, “It’s completely false. The protesters removed party flags but left the national flag untouched and protected images of B.R. Ambedkar and Lama Kushok Bakula Rinpoche before setting the BJP office on fire. Many carried the tricolor.”He dismissed allegations of foreign involvement, noting that claims of people from Doda, Nepal, Tibet, or Bihar being among the injured were misleading, as these were likely bystanders caught in the crossfire. “Leh has a significant outsider population. Indiscriminate firing would naturally harm them too,” he added.Dorjay, who was flanked by other LAB leaders, also rejected accusations that Wangchuk or Congress leaders instigated the violence, stating that public anger stemmed from the government’s perceived lack of seriousness. He accused the CRPF, recently deployed from outside Ladakh, of excessive force, noting that 95 percent of injuries were from bullets or pellets. “This was a planned effort to suppress our movement,” he claimed, questioning why agencies failed to detect any alleged foreign interference if such claims were true.On talks with the Centre, Dorjay said LAB met with Home Ministry officials and postponed further discussions until after the victims’ funerals. He, however, also said, “We have made it clear that if the home ministry does not call us on time for talks, we will intensify our agitation. We have also said that our movement will be peaceful and non-violent.He reiterated the demand for a judicial probe to investigate the use of live ammunition, which he deemed “completely illegal” due to non-compliance with standard police procedures. LAB’s legal team is working to secure bail for those detained after the violence, he said.
