KDA Seeks Judicial Probe into Ladakh Violence, Calls for Wangchuk’s Release

SRINAGAR: The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe into the recent violence in Ladakh that left four people dead and scores injured, while also calling for the immediate release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and other detained youth leaders.

Addressing a press conference at the Press Club of India, senior KDA leaders, including co-chairman Asghar Karbalai, Sajjad Kargali, Member of Parliament Haji Hanifa Jan, and civil society representatives accused the government of unleashing repression on peaceful protesters seeking statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

“What happened in Leh was not just an attack on protesters but on democracy itself,” Karbalai said, demanding that the inquiry be headed by a sitting or retired judge. The leaders said they would suspend all talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) until cases against their members were withdrawn and detained activists released.

Much of the press conference centred on the detention of Wangchuk, who was taken into custody after the Leh protests. Karbalai said Wangchuk’s “only crime is that he spoke for the people of Ladakh and the fragile Himalayan environment,” calling his detention unjust. Other speakers stressed that Wangchuk’s global reputation had amplified Ladakh’s concerns, yet the government had “chosen to muzzle him.”

The KDA also accused the Centre of failing to deliver on its promises since the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. “Instead of dialogue, we are facing bullets, detentions, and cases,” the leaders said, alleging that even former BJP supporters were being booked under the UAPA and NSA for questioning government policies.

The alliance said Ladakhis were facing rising unemployment, resource exploitation, and growing alienation despite being promised development after Union Territory status. “There is a growing sense of betrayal,” Sajjad Kargali told reporters.

Reiterating their commitment to peaceful agitation, KDA leaders announced plans for public meetings, awareness drives, and delegations to national and international forums to press their demands. “We will not allow Ladakh to be turned into another conflict zone. Our struggle is democratic, peaceful, and rooted in constitutional principles,” they said.