Centre calls Ladakh Leaders for October 22 Talks Amid Unrest Over 6th Schedule and Statehood 

SRINAGAR: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invited representatives from Ladakh, including members of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), for discussions in New Delhi on October 22 to deliberate on their long-pending demands for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and grant of statehood to the Union Territory.

According to reports in The Tribune and other media outlets, a sub-committee comprising six leaders—three each from Leh and Kargil—along with the Member of Parliament from Ladakh, has been called to participate in the deliberations. The talks are expected to focus on the four key demands repeatedly put forward by the Ladakh leadership: inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, statehood, a separate Public Service Commission, and two parliamentary seats for the Union Territory, which currently has only one.

The invitation follows a turbulent few weeks in the region marked by protests, restrictions, and casualties. On September 24, four people were killed when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Leh district. The Home Ministry has since ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, to be led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan, assisted by retired District and Sessions Judge Mohan Singh Parihar and IAS officer Tushar Anand.

However, the Leh Apex Body has objected to the composition of the inquiry team, pointing out that no Ladakhi has been included. “It is surprising that there is no Ladakhi in the inquiry team. The presence of not a single Ladakhi looks strange. We want the probe to be held transparently,” LAB co-chairman Cherring Dorjay Lakruk told The Tribune.

Lakruk, who is also a member of the sub-committee invited for the October 22 talks, confirmed that the group has been called to New Delhi for discussions on the Sixth Schedule and statehood. “We will also discuss the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk and 25 others detained after the September 24 protests in Leh,” he said, adding that the delegation will later meet the high-powered committee of the MHA for further deliberations.

Tensions have remained high in Leh since authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS), suspended mobile internet services, and closed educational institutions to prevent a silent march called jointly by LAB and KDA. Security forces were deployed in large numbers to thwart the protest, which had been planned to mourn those killed and detained in the September 24 firing incident.

While the march was foiled in Leh, a peaceful demonstration took place in Kargil, where hundreds led by KDA leaders, including Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili, marched from Hussaini Park to the main bus stand, carrying placards and wearing black bands in solidarity with the victims. “We welcome the Centre’s decision to order a judicial inquiry into the September 24 violence and demand unconditional release of all detainees, including Sonam Wangchuk, and compensation for the families of those killed and injured,” the KDA leaders said.

LAB co-chairman Lakruk, who was reportedly placed under house arrest on the day of the march, criticised the restrictions, calling them “undemocratic and unlawful.” “When the administration is scared of its own people, there must be something wrong,” he told reporters in Leh.

In Srinagar, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that both Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir were victims of unfulfilled promises. “People of Ladakh have been pushed to the wall. Promises were made and broken. Having promised the Sixth Schedule, why aren’t you implementing it? Similarly, you promised us statehood but are not delivering it,” Abdullah said, calling on the Centre to “keep its promises to both Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.”

As Ladakh’s political and civil society groups prepare for the crucial October 22 meeting with the MHA, the region’s mood remains tense but resolute, with both Leh and Kargil leaders insisting that only constitutional safeguards and statehood can ensure Ladakh’s future autonomy and identity.