Jammu, September 25:
On Wednesday, during the 15-day long hunger strike demanding inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and statehood, a crowd of youth suddenly gathered and the peaceful protest took a violent turn.
Amidst vandalism, arson and stone pelting, angry youth set the BJP state office on fire. The workers present there somehow saved their lives by running away. Meanwhile, four protesters were killed in police firing. Around 80 people, including 40 police personnel and CRPF jawans, were injured.
Congress leader and councilor Phutsog Stajin Tsepag has been booked for making inflammatory speeches. The situation is tense, and authorities have imposed a curfew in Leh. Internet service is disrupted. Meanwhile, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, hurt by the violence, has ended his hunger strike.
Following this, the youth wing of the LAB announced a shutdown in Leh on Wednesday. The protest at Shaheed Park began peacefully as usual on Wednesday morning. But by afternoon, a crowd of young people suddenly arrived. They began vandalizing the area, shouting slogans like “We want the Sixth Schedule.”
As the crowd left the park, the CRPF fired tear gas to stop them from moving forward. The protesters responded by pelting stones. Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse them. From there, the youth proceeded to the BJP state office, where they pelted stones and set it on fire.
BJP workers managed to escape with their lives. The youths then set fire to documents and furniture stored there. The angry youths also torched a CRPF vehicle parked along the road, along with several other vehicles. The youth also targeted the Leh office of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).
