Last Rites of Leh Firing Victims Held Under Curfew As Ladakh Leaders Prepare for Talks In Delhi

SRINAGAR: Leh witnessed sombre and heavily guarded scenes on Sunday as the last rites of two young men killed last week’s firing were conducted under stringent restrictions. The ceremonies, marked by barbed wire, sealed streets and a limited presence of family and select community members, reflected the tension that continues to grip Ladakh after Wednesday’s violence left four people dead and nearly a hundred injured, reports appearing in the media said.

The two victims cremated on Sunday were identified as Stanzin Namgyal, a 23-year-old sports enthusiast, and Jigmet Dorjay, a student. Police and paramilitary forces maintained a tight vigil around the sites, barring media access and restricting public entry. Senior officers were deployed near Singay Namgyal Chowk, where one of the rites took place, while only official vehicles and a handful of tourists on motorbikes moved across otherwise deserted streets.

Witnesses said many residents tried to pay their respects from a distance, with some breaking down as Stanzin’s funeral procession passed through.

Once the rites concluded, barricades and concertina wires were removed, but the curfew remained formally in place. Officials said the curbs were necessary to ensure order until the remaining two victims, including a former Army man, are laid to rest on Monday.

A member of the Ladakh Buddhist Association confirmed that only immediate relatives, villagers, and members of select groups such as the Leh Apex Body were allowed to attend. “There was no relaxation in the curfew,” a senior official insisted, even as locals recalled that markets were briefly opened on Saturday after a week of shutdowns.

The tragedy has also cast a shadow over Ladakh’s political negotiations with New Delhi. Leaders from the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, who have been pressing for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, are scheduled to travel to Delhi this week. A preparatory meeting, initially fixed for Monday, may be postponed owing to the funerals. “I don’t think we will be able to go on Monday, but we are expected to travel on Tuesday,” said Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, co-convenor of the Leh Apex Body and president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association.

The leaders said they intend to raise the issue of “indiscriminate firing” and the detention of activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act. Wangchuk, whose hunger strike had galvanised protests, has been shifted to Jodhpur jail. “We will explain how firing occurred without any warning. Now, we are being labelled anti-nationals, with claims that Pakistan and China are behind the protests. This is totally untrue,” Lakruk said.

The October 6 talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs are seen as crucial, but Ladakh leaders stressed that they would use the preparatory meeting this week to insist that the dialogue focus on their four long-standing demands. “We want result-oriented discussions this time,” a member of the Apex Body said.

The Union Home Ministry had earlier blamed Wangchuk’s statements for the unrest and announced consultations on September 25 and 26. But those meetings fell through amid escalating anger in Leh. Since then, curfew and restrictions have kept the town on edge, with officials saying their priority was to complete the funerals peacefully.

On Saturday, Ladakh’s Director General of Police SD Singh Jamwal said security forces were “compelled to open fire,” a statement that has only deepened resentment among locals. For families mourning their dead, questions remain about why the protests — meant to press for constitutional safeguards and local rights — ended in bloodshed.

For now, Leh remains subdued, its streets quiet and its people waiting. As mourners prepare to bury their dead, Ladakh’s political representatives prepare to carry their grievances to Delhi, where the coming week may prove decisive for the region’s future.