Ladakh Protest Turns Violent: Protestors Clash With Police In Leh Amid Statehood Demand

Protesters clashed with police in Leh city of Ladakh on Wednesday morning during the ongoing statehood movement. Police fired teargas shells and resorted to baton charge after a group of youths allegedly turned violent amid a massive protest and shutdown.

According to an NDTV report, angry protestors pelted stones at officials and even burned down a police vehicle—the first such instance of violence during the agitation. The protesters also attacked the BJP office in Leh. In response, the police resorted to tear-gas shelling and lathi-charging to disperse the violent crowds.

The protest was held to press for advancing the proposed talks with the Centre on granting statehood to Ladakh and extending the Sixth Schedule to the Union Territory.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Leh, demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards. They have been observing a hunger strike and called a complete shutdown today to press their statehood demand, as per NDTV report.

The violence comes ahead of crucial talks with the Union government. The centre has called for a meeting with Ladakh representatives on Oct. 6 to resume discussions on their demands.

For the last two weeks, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been observing a hunger strike in Ladakh for statehood and the inclusion of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory in August 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.