The Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, two civil society coalitions leading the movement for constitutional safeguards in Ladakh, have withdrawn from talks with the Union Home Ministry.
The groups said dialogue cannot be held “at gunpoint.”
Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, co-convenor of the Apex Body Leh, accused the Union government and some media outlets of making baseless allegations. He said Ladakh citizens were being branded “anti-national” and linked to Pakistan without proof.
The coalitions cited the Centre’s refusal to order a judicial inquiry into the September 24 police firing as the main reason for ending talks. Four people were killed in the firing during protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.
During the protests, demonstrators clashed with police, threw stones, and set fire to a Bharatiya Janata Party office and a police vehicle. Fifty people were detained after the clashes, according to Lakruk.
The coalitions also demanded the removal of the “anti-national” tag on Ladakhi youth before any further dialogue.
Questions were also raised about restrictions on attendance at the cremation of the four persons killed in the clashes. Stanzin Namgyal and Jigmet Dorjay were cremated on Sunday. Former Ladakh Scouts members Tsewang Tharchin and Rinchen Dadul were cremated on Monday, with only close relatives, friends, and neighbours allowed to attend.
Lakruk criticised the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act. He alleged that scrutiny of Wangchuk’s institute began only after he spoke out for Ladakh.
On September 25, a day after the clashes, the Centre cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licence of Wangchuk’s NGO, the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh. The CBI had already launched a preliminary inquiry into alleged FCRA violations by the group two months earlier. The Centre has claimed that Wangchuk’s “provocative statements” incited the violence.
The Kargil Democratic Alliance said it shared the Apex Body Leh’s position on suspending talks.
The home ministry said it has always been open to dialogue with both groups. It pointed to progress through the High-Powered Committee, including increased reservations for Scheduled Tribes, women’s reservation in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, and protection for local languages. It expressed confidence that continued talks would “yield the desired results in the near future.”