- The protesters of the BJP office and the police vehicle in Leh.
- Police use tear gas and canes, wounded dozens reported.
- Activist Sonam Wangchuk on hunger strike demands statement.
On Wednesday, at least five people were killed when the police collided with hundreds of protesters who demanded greater autonomy in the territory of Ladakh Himalayas occupied by India, leaving injured “dozen,” said the police.
In the main city of Leh, the protesters set fire to a police vehicle and the offices of the Bharatiya Janata party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the officers fired tear gas and used canes to disperse the crowds, police said.
“Five deaths were reported after protests,” said a police officer in Leh AFPUnder condition of anonymity, since he was not authorized to talk to journalists. “The number of injured is in the dozens.”
Another police officer, Regzin Sangdup, said AFP that “several people, including some police officers, were injured.”
The authorities then imposed restrictions on meetings, prohibiting assemblies from more than four people.
The desert region of great altitude scarcely populated, home of about 300,000 people, limits with China and Pakistan.
Around half of Ladakh's residents are Muslims and about 40% are Buddhists.
It is classified as a “territory of the union”, which means that although legislators choose the national Parliament, it is governed directly by New Delhi.
Wednesday's demonstrations were organized in solidarity with the outstanding activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike for two weeks.
He demands full status for Ladakh or constitutional protections for his tribal communities, land and fragile environment.
“Social disturbances arise when you keep unemployed young people and deprive them of their democratic rights,” said Wangchuk, in a statement published on social networks.
He appealed to people to avoid violence “whatever happens.”
The Army of India maintains a great presence in Ladakh, which includes border areas in dispute with China.
The troops of the two countries faced there in 2020, leaving at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese dead.
The Modi government divided Ladakh from the Jammu Indians and assholes illegally occupied in 2019, imposing a direct government to both.
Nueva Delhi has not yet fulfilled its promise to include Ladakh in the “sixth schedule” of the Constitution of India, which allows people to make their own laws and policies.
“There is no platform for democracy here today,” Wangchuk said. “Even the sixth schedule, which was promised and declared, has not been implemented.”
