Leh body submits 29-page draft proposal to MHA on Statehood, Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh

The Leh Apex Body (LAB), an amalgam of social, political and religious groups spearheading an agitation over Statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, on Monday submitted a 29-page draft proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and sough release of detained Ladakh locals, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. 

“We have submitted a 29-page draft proposal to the MHA. We have highlighted the demands of Statehood and Sixth Schedule,” Chering Dorjay Lakruk, Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) president and co-chairman of the LAB, said.  

He said the draft proposal also demanded a general amnesty for those who were arrested or face cases after the September 24 violence in Leh. “In our country, people involved in riots or who picked up arms have been granted a general amnesty. We hope the same in case of those arrested after September 24 incident,” Mr. Lakruk said. 

He said the draft proposal also demanded the release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, 59, who was detained under the provisions of the National Security Act (NSA) in September.

The Ladakh-MHA talks hit a dead end in September after Mr. Wangchuk organised a three-week hunger strike to press for early resumption of talks over Statehood and Sixth Schedule. Locals, including supporters of Mr. Wangchuk, hit the streets on September 24 over the MHA’s delay in announcing talks and resulted in violence, which left four locals dead and around 90 injured. On October 22, the LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) resumed the talks with the MHA over demands of Statehood and Sixth Schedule.  

The delegation held talks with the sub-committee headed by LAB Chairman Thupstan Chhewang and KDA’s Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili, besides Ladakh Member of Parliament Haji Haneefa.