Srinagar: The administration of Ladakh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing of four civilians in Leh on September 24 during protests demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
To ascertain the detailed facts and circumstances that led to the serious law and order situation, police action, and resultant fatalities, the administration has appointed an IAS officer to lead the inquiry.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nubra, Mukul Beniwal, has been designated as the inquiry officer and directed to submit a comprehensive report within four weeks.
The inquiry was ordered by Deputy Commissioner Leh on September 26.
According to a notice issued by the inquiry officer, individuals having any information related to the incident are invited to record their statements between October 4 and 18 at the DC Office Conference Hall, which will serve as the inquiry venue.
“…..Any person(s) having information about the incident or willing to provide oral evidence, written statements, or material evidence (such as photographs or video recordings) may appear before the undersigned and submit their statements/evidence…..,” the notice reads.
However, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) has outrightly rejected the magisterial inquiry ordered by the Union Territory administration, and reiterated its demand for a high-level judicial inquiry, insisting that only such a probe could establish accountability for the deaths of civilians in Leh.
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey categorically dismissed the inquiry led by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Nubra. “We have maintained from day-one that there should be a judicial inquiry into the killings of Ladakhi people. We want to know who ordered the firing on civilians without any warning. We don’t accept the magisterial inquiry and we reject it,” Dorjey said.
The LAB leader further added that no dialogue with the central government will be possible unless its core demands are met.
“Talks with the Centre are not possible until a judicial inquiry is ordered and all the detainees, including Sonam Wangchuk, are released. The government must come clean and be answerable to the people of Ladakh,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and the All Ladakh Gonpa Association held a joint prayer meeting here today and paid tributes to the four youths who were killed in the September 24 police firing. They also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
After the prayers, the members of the two Buddhist bodies unanimously passed a resolution demanding an impartial judicial inquiry into the alleged excessive use of force and indiscriminate firing by police and paramilitary forces on protesters, adequate compensation for the dependents of those killed and critically injured, and the immediate release of activist Sonam Wangchuk.
They also demanded the immediate release of all others detained by police on “flimsy grounds” following the violence and an end to “witch-hunting and harassment” of the local youths in order to restore normalcy in the region.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, LBA’s Dorjay said the body’s legal advisor, Haji Ghulam Mustafa, has been granted permission to meet Wangchuk, who has been lodged in a Rajasthan prison after his detention under the National Security Act on September 26.
Mustafa has left for Delhi, from where he will proceed to Rajasthan. Some of Wangchuk’s family members were also allowed to meet him, said Dorjay, who is also co-chairman of the apex body.
He said 26 people who were detained in the aftermath of the violence have been granted bail by a local court while around 30 still remain in custody.
The Leh Apex Body, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance, has been agitating in support of four demands, including statehood and safeguards for Ladakh under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and has held several rounds of talks with the central government.
Both the groups have decided to stay away from talks scheduled for October 6 with the Centre, demanding that a conducive atmosphere be created before the resumption of dialogue by ordering a judicial inquiry and releasing all those detained.
The Kargil Bar Association is on a week-long strike in solidarity with the people of Leh, especially the families of those who lost their loved ones in the violence.
The bar will stay away from all judicial work till October 6, a spokesperson of the association said, adding that the association stands committed to providing free legal assistance to any victim of the unfortunate incident of September 24.
The association urged the Ladakh administration to ensure a free, fair and impartial judicial inquiry into the matter so that justice is served and accountability is fixed, the spokesperson said.
Officials said markets in Leh opened early this morning as police extended the curfew relaxation to full day.
The curfew was imposed on the evening of September 24 and relaxation periods were gradually extended over the days as the situation in the town remained by and large peaceful, they said.
Mobile internet services, however, remain suspended across the district and prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons remain in force across Ladakh.
