New Delhi, Sept 30: The protests in Ladakh have taken another sharp turn with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) announcing on Tuesday that it too will boycott talks with the Centre, joining the Leh Apex Body’s stand. The KDA said it will not sit across the table with government representatives until climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others arrested in Leh are released and a judicial inquiry is ordered into last week’s police firing.
KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai told reporters in Delhi that the people of Ladakh were being unfairly targeted. “We are in touch with the Apex Body Leh. Together we want to make it clear — no talks will take place until Wangchuk is freed, the arrests are stopped, and an impartial probe into the firing is announced,” he said.
Karbalai described Wangchuk as a “hero of the country” and hit out at the Union Territory administration and the Ministry of Home Affairs. “Stop portraying Ladakhis as anti-nationals. We don’t need a certificate from anyone. We have sacrificed enough for this nation,” he said.
Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa also voiced his anger, saying locals were deeply upset by the language being used against them.
On Monday, the Leh Apex Body had already suspended its dialogue with the Centre, making the release of Wangchuk and other activists, and the constitution of a judicial inquiry, a precondition for resuming talks.
The anger stems from the September 24 shutdown in Leh that spiralled into violence, leaving four people dead and dozens injured. Over 50 people were arrested in the clashes, while Wangchuk was booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and shifted to a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
The two bodies — representing Leh and Kargil — had been in discussions with the Centre over Ladakh’s demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards. With both now stepping back, the dialogue process hangs in the balance.
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