Thousands of people in Ladakh and Leh held a massive protest though in a peaceful way the King Senge Namgyal crossing, Leh demanding statehood and constitutional protections under the sixth schedule for the Union Territory. Thousands of protesters were seen marching with placards having messages written in a bit to stress on their demands. Protests were jointly organised by the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance.
What triggered the march
At the King Senge Namgyal crossing, Leh, there is a massive gathering of people for a peaceful march against the delayed meeting of safeguard demands including the 6th schedule to Ladakh. The entire Ladakh is observing bandh/closure today.
In December, the Centre held its first meeting in Ladakh and asked both the bodies from Leh and Kargil to submit their demands. A complete shutdown was observed after Centre decided to organise a second round of talks with representatives of the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance. A high-powered committee headed by Minister of State (Home Affairs) Nityanand Rai has been set up in a bid to resolve the matter.
What is the issue?
People of Ladakh believe that their intricate issues can be resolved only when they get an opportunity to elect their representatives who have a thorough understanding of their key issues to govern their region.
The people of Ladakh said they couldn't live under an unending bureaucratic rule in the Union Territory.
Historical facts
Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory after Article 370 was scrapped and the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated and downgraded into two Union Territories in August 2019.
In last two years, people Leh and Kargil felt politically dispossessed and felt the need to have their own representative elected. Several protests have been held in this regard since past few years.
